Survey the Land-
Numbers 13
1-2 God spoke to Moses: “Send men to scout out the country of Canaan that I am giving to the People of Israel. Send one man from each ancestral tribe, each one a tried-and-true leader in the tribe.”
17-20 When Moses sent them off to scout out Canaan, he said, “Go up through the Negev and then into the hill country. Look the land over, see what it is like....When they arrived at the Eshcol Valley they cut off a branch with a single cluster of grapes—it took two men to carry it—slung on a pole. They also picked some pomegranates and figs.
It is one thing to stand on God’s promise in a situation, but it is another thing to wait on God’s promise. At church today the pastor was talking about standing on the word of a promise. He talked about the ruler who came to Jesus on the behalf of his dying son and Jesus says ‘Go your son is healed,’ and in the process of him returning home he gets word of the healing of his son.
As I was listening to this, I could not help but think ‘what happens if God gave you a word yet you feel like you are just in a holding pattern and wonder if you even heard correctly His promises.’ Am I hearing correctly or did His word change or is my expectations not in alignment with what His promises really are? Have you felt like you have been in that holding pattern just circling the airport of your destination?
When I asked this very question during service God gave me one simple response....’survey the land.’ Being in the construction field and designing homes and the land they are on for nearly three decades I almost fell apart. As I took in this word ‘survey the land I was taken back to two projects, the first was my parents house which I did at the age of 20 and the second the job I currently am working on for a client in New Jersey. The thing they both have in common was the slope of the land was very drastic to the point where most would look at them and deem the lots as being unbuildable. The truth is these are the lots that create the most stunning residences.
When I heard the word ‘survey the land’ I had to think about exactly what that meant. Understand in order to create a survey you must take into consideration several factors; the boundaries, vegetation, soil topography and even the way the land faces. Much the same when we stand on the word God gives us we must take in the same factors.
When we look at God’s promises we need to understand all the factors that His word reflects. Take for example Psalm 23. There are so many things the Psalmist speaks of between enemies, tables, rods, staffs, banquets, and oil, but if we do not understand the significance of each thing we can overlook them as simply innate items rather than leverages of promise. Too often we ask for a promise or a word and camp out on it but do not understand those things within the promise.
So as I sat and listened to today’s message I had to correlate the promise God gave me about my kids and direction with the word He gave me today (survey the land) and what I do for a living. Understanding the elements of a survey gives us a better perspective to understand that area where you are going to build on and a word or promise is exactly something we are to build on. Too often though we find ourselves just pitching a tent in the middle of that ‘promise’ land God has given us and know it’s potential and blessings but get discouraged as we are just living in a tent when our desire is a permanent residence in the promise God has given us.
He requires us to survey the ‘promise’ land so we can strategically understand how and where to build upon His promise. It requires us to understand the boundaries of the promise, the topography (the highs and lows), the soil conditions which are rich for growth and the direction so the Son can shine down properly.
So as I look back at the promises where I felt stagnant for some time regarding my kids and not seeing any movement, I must ask, ‘what does surveying the ‘promise’ land look like? I know it has benefits to it for blessings, but what giants must I encounter and overthrow to build on His promise? Are there Giants of Fear and Doubt? Maybe it is the Giant of Fatigue. How about the Giant of Insignificance?
God calls us to survey the land not to be intimidated by the process, rather to gain understanding of the promise. Too often the Giants try to overshadow the promise stopping us from building on the land He has given us and deem it as ‘unbuildable.’
God forgive me for allowing the Giants to seem more significant that the promise. May my eyes be able to survey that which is good in the promises You have spoken that I may build on those things you have spoke into my life, my kids and the calling you have set.CAL
