Fall is here. A change of season. Facebook is filled with people talking about all the changes taking place in nature. Some of us are excited for the change. Some of us, not so much. But, change is going to happen regardless of how we feel about it.
The above scripture caught my eye the other day as I was thinking about the changes happening around me. I don't know about you, but I don't always look forward to change. Change is sometimes hard. It often requires me to leave my comfort zone. Sometimes change requires me to head off in a new direction-- out into the unknown.
That's what was happening to the Israelites in this verse. They had been wandering around in circles for 40 years. 40 years! That's a long time. Certainly long enough to get comfortable in the pattern of wandering. I'm not saying that their wandering life was easy, but often times we are more comfortable with the known than the unknown. So, we become somewhat content in wandering around in circles, taking in the same view, day after day.
So now, we've come to the direction in this verse-- "You have circled these hills long enough." Maybe that is where you find yourself today. You have gone round and round, circling the same mountain over and over again. Maybe you have even heard God whisper, "Go north." But instead of heading off, you find yourself at a standstill, worrying about taking that next step. Afraid to even point one toe in a new direction.
It doesn't clearly state in the Bible whether or not the Israelites were afraid of this new direction, but I would imagine that they were. This was new territory. This land held the unknown. I'm sure they worried about how this new movement north was going to affect them. Would the people who lived in the land that they were about to cross accept them peacefully moving through their land? What would those people think? What day to day changes would this movement require of them? Would they be able to do things the same way? Or would they have to change how they carried out their day to day activities. Can they do what God asked? Or where they going to screw things up again? Doubts. Fear. Worry.
"The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. Those forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything." Deuteronomy 2:7
You see, God understood that there were probably many who had doubts, worry, and fear about this new direction, and this was his response.
So, if today you are finding yourself being asked to step out in a new direction, remember this: God has been with you so far. He has given you provision. He has blessed you. So don't be afraid to head North. He will go before you. He will walk beside you. He will provide for you. Don't miss the great and new opportunity that lies to the north because you are afraid of the unknown.
"But be assured today that the Lord your God is the one who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire." Deuteronomy 9:3
For me, 2014 has been a year of being challenged to be bolder in sharing God's love with those I come into contact with. And while being bold, to be more loving in the way that I approach people. I am being challenged to leave aside judgements and to just reach out in love. To sit down and discuss topics in a loving way, not a judgmental way. To be open to people whose ideas, thoughts, and beliefs differ vastly from mine. To be willing to humble myself enough to learn from them and show them love in spite of what anyone else thinks. To welcome honest dialog with those who may question my beliefs. To be secure enough in the knowledge of who God is that I do not find these questions personally offensive. To instead respond to them with God's love. To take big, giant steps towards loving people in the way that Jesus loves them.
Man, oh man, this process of heading north is sometimes hard. The terrain is different and I find myself stumbling, not as sure footed as I use to be. But, even when I stumble, God is there to pick me up, dust me off, and point me north. My prayer for you is that you have the courage to "Now turn north," knowing that God is going before you, directing your paths.
I'll leave you with a few more photos of Alaska, simply because, for some unknown reason, I had that stupid song line "North, to Alaska" stuck in my head alllllll summer long. Nothing else, just that one line in the song. In fact, I can't even recall the rest of the song. Whatever.
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