Don't Be a Grasshopper!
I just listened to a series of messages by David Jeremiah that touched me deeply. He talked about Caleb and Joshua and the other spies going into the Promised Land and coming back with different reports. For those of you not familiar with this Bible story, it is found in the book of Numbers. God had led His people to the Promised Land. He had given them many signs that He was indeed unfolding His plan and that He was leading and protecting them.
After walking through the parted waters of the Red Sea, being led by a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day, receiving manna from heaven and having God show them in countless ways that He was, without doubt, guiding their steps, they finally arrived at the border of Canaan, the land they were to occupy.
God directed Moses to send twelve spies into Canaan, among them, Caleb and Joshua. At the end of forty days, ten of the spies came back with bad news, saying that it would be too difficult to move in and take the land. “‘The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people that we saw in it are of great height. And there we saw the Nephilim (the sons of Anak, who come from the Nephilim), and we seemed to ourselves like grasshoppers, and so we seemed to them.’” (Numbers 13:32,33)
But Caleb and Joshua had an entirely different report. They saw all of the same things but what they saw differently was their view of God. And their view of the people of God. They reminded the people that God had called them to this place and He had shown them over and over again that He was more than able to accomplish His plans. But the people refused to listen. They too saw themselves as helpless grasshoppers and were too afraid to move forward.
Are we often guilty of the same thing? Do we see ourselves as mere grasshoppers?
I don't care what stage of life you're in. I don't care what craziness this nation is going through. No matter how close we are to the end times, this fact remains; God has plans for you.
I’ll say it again; GOD HAS PLANS FOR YOU!
He has called us and gifted us for different jobs in His Kingdom. Those plans might seem big in the eyes of the world. Or they might seem small. But if they’re God’s plans they’re of infinite importance. It might be parenting, teaching, giving, speaking, writing, showing hospitality, listening, offering healing. The list goes on and on. And it might look different in different seasons. One fact remains for all of us, the Holy Spirit empowers us. IF we let Him.
And the enemy of your soul hates the plans that God has for you. He’s actually afraid of those plans. The enemy hates you. And he’s afraid of you if you’re a believer. He and his kingdom will do everything they can to discourage you. They want you to see yourself as small and ineffectual in whatever role God has put you in. You are nothing but a little grasshopper in a world of giants.
That is a lie straight from hell.
There will always be hardships. There will always be setbacks. There will always be brokenness. But it's how we respond to those dips in the road that will make all the difference. It’s our choice. How do we see God? How do we see ourselves? How will we choose to move forward? What will we accomplish with the help of God? Are we grasshoppers? Or are we Spirit-filled, Spirit-led children of God?
In the old days of sailing, whenever a severe storm came up, sailors would often lash themselves to the mast to keep from being blown overboard. We have a much sturdier mast than they had. Sometimes their mast would break. Our mast will never break. During the storms we are facing today, we need to be tied securely to our God, the Creator of all. Sometimes the storms are so fierce, that’s all we can manage to do. But that’s a good place to be. The best place to be.
Attach yourself firmly to your Savior and learn what the Bible has to say about this journey we are on. We are of His Kingdom and that Kingdom is moving forward to victory no matter how big and how victorious our enemy seems to be. His victory is only for a moment. God’s victory is for eternity.
If you’re Biblically literate, you know that some ugly events have to play out near the end. But look up! Look into the face of Jesus and rejoice that God’s plans are being accomplished.
You are not a grasshopper. You are a child of the King. Choose this day to see yourself the way God sees you. And move forward in joy and confidence.
“To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His blood and made us a Kingdom, priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (Revelation 1:5b,6)
