S: Numbers 13:30 NIV- Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
O: Moses sends 12 spies into the promise land to see what the land is like. He tells the spies to find out what kind of people are there, what the soil is like, are there trees, is there fruit, does the city have walls, etc. When the spies go to observe the land, they find that the grapes are so large that 2 men have to carry them. Everything they would ever want in a new home was available to them, but they had been turned off to the potential of the land because of the current inhabitants of the land. When the spies came back to Moses most of them gave a bad report, but Caleb, silenced the people and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it."
A: This has always been an intriguing story to me because God told Moses to send spies into the promise land, but, Moses told them what to look for. Moses not only told them to see what kind of land it was, but he told them to observe their potential enemies. What's interesting is that God told Moses to send them, but never told them what to look for. It's funny that when God gives us direction, our immediate response is always to look for the problems in the places He tells us to go. Most of the spies that went on the journey responded in that exact manner, because even though they physically brought back evidence of how great the land was, their report focused on the size of the people, and how fortified the city walls were. I love Caleb's response because he's not oblivious to the enemy, but he is focused on the promise. Numbers 13:2 says, “Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites." If God sends you to see something He has already promised you, than your job is not to focus on the problem, but focus on the promise. Problems will always arise within the promise because they force us to rely on God, but when you place your trust in Him, your attitude shifts from, "The people who live there are powerful," to "We can certainly do it." Even when the crowd can't see the promise, God is just looking for one who can. Today, when you are faced with a giant, will you focus on the problem, or the promise? God has promised us great things. We must choose not to focus on the giants that may be standing in the way, because God never told us to look at them.
P: God thank You for the promises you have in store for me. Although problems may come along the way, keep my vision focused on your promise. I know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I will boldly take possession of what You have in store for me because I know if You promised it, I can most certainly do it.
