Impact - Day 34

Day 34 – The Hill Country

Joshua 14:9-12 [So Caleb reminded Joshua…] “on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the LORD my God wholeheartedly.’”

“ Now then, just as the LORD promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the desert. So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the LORD promised me that day. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the LORD helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”

God had said, “I will give you every place you set your foot.” He said it to Moses, to Joshua and to Caleb. I believe He says it to us today. God has plans for us to step up and step out. “Swing your leg and land your foot in the spaces near you.” Your walk is meant to be unique and your stance individualized. So, get ready to move. There is an adventurous journey of faith ahead. But before we go, let’s wring one more amazing drop from this story.

Notice what Caleb is asking for. The land that is being distributed to the other tribes is free of enemies and ready for inhabitation. But Caleb isn’t asking for those territories. He asks for the hill country God promised forty-five years earlier. 

The countryside in question contains all of the difficulties that filled Israel with fear in Numbers 14. The cities are fortified, and the terrain is impassable. The ancestors of Goliath fill the land. Caleb is asking to lead his people into the hardest tasks, the most difficult circumstances and impossible situations. His claim is that his faith is stronger than it was forty-five years ago when he was prepared to die for his request to go into the land. 

Is this our attitude today? Do we find ourselves inviting God to send us into intimidating challenges? Or are we most prone to ask God to eliminate problems and give us the easy path? Honestly, Caleb’s approach inspires me to want to grow into a warrior, less afraid of the hard things. What if we whined a little less when things got tough? Could we stop acting like difficulties were evidence that God has left us or doesn’t exist at all? 

Lord, please give us the spirit of Caleb. Give us the hill country.

1. What is the hardest work you have ever done? How did it feel to accomplish that?
2. What is something you quit because it was too hard? Did you regret not completing it? Why or why not?
3. What is something difficult that you sense God is inviting you to conquer? What would you like to say to Him about that?