God on the Edge

One of the best parts of Israel's wilderness journey is right at the end of it. No, not when they were finally entering the Promised Land, but just before that - when they were starting to divide up the land God hadn't given them yet. 

It's the wildest scene: all Israel is gathered and Moses is giving his final speech. The whole community knows that Moses is not going with them across the Jordan, but that doesn't stop him from telling them what land they are going to inherit and to start dividing it among the tribes of Israel. Dan will have this land, and Reuben, this one. Judah will live here, while Levi will scatter among the peoples, just as God promised. 

Just. as. God. promised. 

Not delivered. 

They hadn't taken a single inch of the promise yet. They hadn't laid hold to a single acre of holy ground. But here they were, casting lots and making plans and drawing lines on a map that they couldn't even trace yet. They were that certain that God's promise was coming true. They were that certain that God was good. 

When was the last time you were that confident? 

God does this all the time, though we are often not bold enough to lay hold to it. As soon as we start thinking about all the things that are starting to come true in our lives, the things we can see and almost taste, there's this little bit of "worldly wisdom" that tells us not to count our chickens before they hatch. Well, it's worldly, but it's not really wisdom. 

Because God has always been a chickens kind of God. 

God has always been clear about the promise that is coming and the fullness that it entails. God has always been honest about the milk and honey flowing in the land. God has always been straightforward about what it looks like when you get to where He's leading you. 

And it's glorious. 

What would your life look like if you started to lay claim to the promise of God in your life right now, even if you're still on the far side of the Jordan? What would change if you trusted everything that He said? How would your heart be different if you started counting chickens instead of staring at eggs?