So the Lord gave to Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. Joshua 21:43
How many of you TODAY checked the tracking information on something you ordered? Is it still arriving on time? Have you ever been frustrated when a delivery is delayed? I remember when it took 4-6 weeks for something you ordered off the back of a cereal box to arrive, and to quote the movie “The Sandlot” that felt like, “FOR-EH-VER.” And there were times when it seemed like what was ordered would NEVER arrive. There are other things that take longer and where waiting is just as hard; pregnancy or getting pregnant, building a house, waiting for your favorite show’s new season… To also quote my friend Colin’s favorite musician, the late great Tom Petty, “The waiting is the hardest part.”
So now imagine 600ish years… That is the approximate length of time between the covenant God made with Abraham and our passages from today. 600ish years… That is how long it took for God’s people to completely settle into the land God promised them. And yet, God’s promise WAS fulfilled. When Joshua and the crew divided up the land amongst the people, I can only wonder if there was a moment where they stood back and thought, “Huh… God came through.” In fact, all throughout Scripture we find that not only can God be trusted to keep his promises, he is faithful to do so, even in spite of his people’s attitudes or behaviors. So how is that relevant today?
We could all stand to do with a little more trust in God and his timing. Even if we don’t have personal promises from God regarding our pathways, God has promised to always be with us just as he did to Joshua. And while it might feel like 600ish years at times, God’s timing is perfect and something we can trust for our lives. So hang in there friends… God’s got this!