Kiawah is what I’m reminded of when I read God’s description of the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 11. Through Moses, God tells the people of Israel that the land they’re about to enter into isn’t anything like the land they just came out of (Egypt). Instead of laboring to produce everything themselves, He would provide for their every need. Their job was simply to trust God and put Him first.
 
It didn’t take long for the people to fail on their end of the bargain. Time and time again we see the Israelites trust in their ability, their “truths,” and their ways. The penalty for their self-reliance was a curse on their land. The reality of the Israelite’s “freedom” ended up being far from the abundant life God intended for them.
 
If God’s plan for the Promised Land seems eerily familiar, it’s because it was modeled after Eden. Eden was where Adam and Eve had an unbroken relationship with God, and He provided for them. Distrust led Adam and Eve to sin, and a curse was placed on all mankind. Now man would have to strive to produce what once was freely given... and that included righteousness. This is the curse we are all born into, whether we like it or not..
 
However, Eden has always been God’s intention. Jesus made a way for us, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...” (Gal. 3:13). However, Jesus didn’t just pay the price for our righteousness— He paid the price to restore us to the Promised Land of abundant life. In Him, our souls can prosper with joy, peace, and fulfillment.
 
From birth, our souls crave Eden. That’s why we revel in carefree days like I experienced at Kiawah. However, we live in the constant tension between the desires of our flesh and spirit, but the problem is we keep wandering back to Egypt...
 
Instead of trusting Him for our righteousness, we try to earn it with perfection.
Instead of trusting His wisdom, we rely on our own understanding.
Instead of trusting Him for provision, we wear ourselves out working.
 
Are you tired of striving? Do you long for the lightness and simplicity of the abundant life Jesus promised in John 10:10? Me too, friend.
 
The good news is we don’t have to wait until “one day” in heaven— abundant life is here and now. Culture tells us “nothing comes for free,” but the Kingdom of God is upside-down. Eden can’t be earned. We experience abundant life not by trying harder, but by turning from our self-reliance and simply trusting our all-sufficient God.
 
Trust is simple, but it isn’t easy. It’s like a muscle that we have to develop day by day. We strengthen that muscle by repeating the cycle of spending time with Him, listening, and obeying. Talk to God and take inventory of your life— identify any areas where you’re striving instead of surrendering.
 
The Israelites got it wrong. We will too sometimes. But through grace and the power of the Holy Spirit, we can learn to live life in the Promised Land simply by trusting in Him.

I wonder if this is how Moses felt as the leader of Israel. Every step he took forward was met with grumbling and resistance. Having only their own understanding to draw on, whenever a challenge was presented and God’s provision was not what they thought it should be, they responded out of a pattern of fear and complaint. In the end, this way of thinking led to 40 years of merry-go-round-like roaming, without destination, in the desert.
 
Even Moses had his moment of acting rashly. Drawing from his own experience, he disobeyed God when he struck the rock for water instead of speaking to it.
 
Momentarily, his heart returned to his earlier days in Egypt when he murdered the Egyptian for beating an Israelite. In his rage, Moses put his trust in his own actions, not God’s instructions.
 
The pull to remain on the merry-go-round of self-reliance is strong, but stronger still is the power of the One who frees us.
 
Although self-sufficient thinking is praised in our society, God wants us to be dependent on Him. It seems that from the dawn of creation the one thing He desires most is our hearts in close relationship with Him; trusting His methods, committed to obedience, and receiving His blessings.
 
Isn’t that just like a parent?
 
He knows what we do not, and if we live our life based on our own understanding, I believe, like Israel, we often end up forfeiting the abundant life God promised to us, dooming us to a life of wandering and feeling trapped, spinning on the merry-go-round of habit with “if only”’s swirling through our minds.
 
How do we exit? What will stop the spinning? Can we get off the merry-go-round and break these cyclical patterns?
 
What was powerful for Israel and in my life as well? A decision followed by action. Stepping off my current path and onto God’s, every time life begins to spin.
 
Choosing not to hold to the ways we set in our hearts is an intense fight. And when we lose, when we choose our own ways over God’s, we may find ourselves feeling defeated. But three things are encouraging even still:
 

1. Through all their wandering, God was with the Israelites. Providing and protecting. No, they were not to enter the promised land, but God was still faithful and used their wandering for his glory and to be a witness to surrounding nations. - THEY STILL HAD PURPOSE. 
   
2. They DID break free. Not their generation, but their children were now the carriers of the promise and experienced the miracle of obedience first hand.
   
3. God LOVED Moses. God did not remain mad at Moses. Moses’s failure forfeited his admission to the promised land, not his relationship with God. 

So, here is the hard question. Are you able to trust what God says enough to take the leap from your own merry-go-round?
 
It will be uncomfortable, come with a bit of uncertainty and might have kind of a rough landing, but freedom from spinning is worth it.
 
Every. Single. Time.
 
So friend, let’s leap from our own merry-go-rounds into the steady arms of God our Father and trust His plans for our lives.

I tend to want to serve God in ways that would bless me if I were Him, maybe you do, too. But we are not Him. Our thoughts aren’t His thoughts, and our ways are definitely not His ways.

In reading Exodus 40 and the detailed account of what God desired in the tabernacle’s construction, I’m sure it didn’t all make sense to Moses. Building and setting up the lampstand, altar, courtyard, and other utensils required huge amounts of time, resources and attention to detail. Moses carried out all of these commands, including hanging the massive, ornate curtain that would shield God’s presence from the people.

​Through faithful obedience, he unknowingly constructed an earthly picture of the throne room of heaven. Hanging a curtain that would one day be torn in two was not a waste of Moses’ time or material, it was preparation for heaven’s grand declaration of love to humanity through the cross. Moses obediently hung a curtain that Jesus would obediently tear in two. Keeping the commands of God with this kind of trust and surrender is how we declare to God our love for Him. It’s a physical representation of our faith in His sovereignty, goodness, and promises.
 
Following instructions we understand requires logic, but following instructions we don’t understand requires faith. God isn’t pleased when we carry out our own ideas of what His plan for us should be. He simply asks us to do what He says. When we trust Him over our own understanding, it blesses Him and deepens our relationship with Him.
 
Turns out, it wasn’t a photo backdrop God was after, it was His daughter’s heart. He desired her willingness to construct it just because He asked her to. And Him revealing more of who He is to me made the experience more than worth it.
 
If you’re facing a task today that has you scratching your head, be encouraged. We may not understand the assignment, but obediently doing the work needed to finish it will surely result in a deeper understanding of our loving Instructor. He isn’t after what we can do for Him, He is after our hearts.

​I wonder how many times the Israelites asked themselves that very type of question. How in the world did we end up here? This desert wasteland is a far cry from the Egyptian cities our families have lived in for generations. Building this tabernacle for our God is a far cry from being forced to make bricks in the hot sun for our Egyptian oppressors.
 
But wait.
 
Are the location pins on the map of my life really all that disconnected?
 
Or am I right where God intended for me to be, fully equipped for what He is asking of me at this moment?
 
When we read through Exodus chapters 26-36, we watch as God’s vision for the Tabernacle and the roles of His people emerge. Yards and yards of beautiful curtains are woven by skilled workers. Tons of wood are cut, crafted, chiseled, and honed into support frameworks and exquisite altars. Dozens of tools and pieces are hammered from bronze and gold.
 
Have you ever wondered where all of that talent came from?
 
God. He used the Israelites’ time under oppression to build the skills they would need in the future.
 
God equips His people with exactly the gifts needed to bring glory and honor to Himself.
 
In chapters 35 and 36, we watch as the whole Israelite community is invited to bring an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting. In just nine short verses, the phrase those “who were willing” is repeated four times. Why does that matter? I think scripture is reminding us that God has gifted and equipped us all, but that we must be willing to use those gifts and resources. He doesn’t force us, but He gives us the choice of keeping the gifts for ourselves or giving them back to Him.
 
On really hard days, I wonder what my life would look like if my family had not said “yes” when God asked us to move to another country. I wouldn’t wake up each morning to breathtaking sunrises over the water. I probably would have fewer bug bites than I do right now. Most importantly, I wouldn’t have made the relationships I have here - relationships that give me the opportunity to share Jesus with people who may have never heard His name outside of the context of a swear word.
 
Could God still have used me even if we had said, “no”?
 
Yes, I believe so.
 
However, He can use me so much more when I have a willing heart.
 
God has equipped you with gifts, skills, and talents that can be used to bring glory to Himself. Do you know what they are? If not, take some time to learn your spiritual gifts. Take a spiritual gifts assessment or talk with a mentor about it. If you are aware of how He has equipped you, are you currently using them for Him? Or only for yourself?
 
Spend some time in prayer this week asking God to show you where He is calling you to serve Him.

​After decades of wandering the wilderness with grumbling Israelites, I’m sure Moses was tired, angry, and just maybe losing hope of the promised land. I sympathize with Moses; I, too, have grumbling people in my life that ask for endless snacks and drinks all day! But I also relate to the Israelites. I bring my grumbling to God often. “Are we there yet, God?” I question. But I’m so thankful for his mercy towards me. And I am also thankful for His correction, even when it interrupts my pity party, for the Lord corrects those He loves (Proverbs 3:12).
 
Moses was close to entering the Promised Land after years of wandering in the wilderness. Yet we read his disobedience prohibits Him from the land of milk and honey. However, at the end of his life, he tells the Israelites to keep their hearts pure and stop being stubborn towards God.
 
Moses and the rock illustrates that I can’t give up and go my own way, even when it feels good at the moment. Obedience and surrender are required of me all the time, not just when I feel like it.
 
Yep, I have to surrender even when I feel stubborn! And, yes, some weeks it’s very hard to surrender my heart. But the Father helps us work out that frustration by providing His Holy Spirit to help.
 
A surrendered heart produces a sanctified life. Sanctification is the process of becoming set apart - to be refined and purified. And we can’t go deeper with God or mature as believers until we surrender our hearts to Him. We can rest assured that every time we choose to surrender our hearts and minds, we not only go deeper in our faith, but receive the fullness of joy from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
 
Do you find yourself being stubborn to the Lord’s loving correction in your life? Maybe you’re just plain tired and need some encouragement to surrender your heart to God. Here's the thing we must remember as believers: even in the midst of very valid anger, exhaustion, we must surrender our hearts. We don't want anger to lead to sin (Ephesians 4:26). The only way to keep our hearts open to God is to surrender over and over again, even when we are tired of wandering in the wilderness.
 
Moses' example shows us that we have to keep following God's commands, even when we are weary from the journey of life. Next time you are feeling a little stubborn about the process of sanctification, I invite you to open your heart to God the Father. Perhaps our prayer of surrender might sound something like this: "God, I am feeling very stubborn right now. I need your Holy Spirit to help me surrender. You are good, and your ways are always good. Amen!”