The Lords Hand Was In It All

Did you realize the Lord your God has put you to the test everywhere you have gone and in everything you have done? He has humbled and disciplined you, tested and tried your heart to see if you would obey His every command. He does these things to teach you the right way to go, giving guidance, wisdom, and instruction.

In this way, He showed you what to watch out for and kept you safe in all circumstances. He has taken you on this long journey so that He may craft and form your heart, mind, and spirit into His character. His intent was always to build your strength like no other. God operates in secret to weed out those who will follow and those who will not.

“The whole commandment that I command you today you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land that the LORD swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that He might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:1-2

He allowed you to hunger, thirst, struggle, and cry out for help. To crawl through the valley of the shadow of death, that you may be made complete in His eyes. His testing is to prepare you with all knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to obey the Lord in everything so that you would know and understand, “Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”

And He humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Deuteronomy 8:3

You obeyed Him and followed Him diligently, walking in all His ways. He preserved and provided for your every need. However, you may have wanted something else or the storm to stop sooner. But trust God; He knows what is best. He gave you exactly what you needed. So much more did He bless you with the lack than the gain. Oh, how wise, good, and patient the Lord is.

Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years. Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in His ways and by fearing Him. Deuteronomy 8:4-6

The Lord Himself will bring you, His faithful servant, into His promised land. He will bless you more than you could ever imagine like He promised Israel, a land flowing with milk and honey. With all the great and plentiful things the Lord can and will provide. Your rejoicing will be great on that day. The Lord will reward you for your faithful obedience to Him.

Know this very last thing. The Lord loves you so much that He did all this for your good. You were never alone, and He did it for your benefit and to strengthen you, preparing you for what was ahead. Never was there a time the Lord was not right there holding your hand, drying your tears, or embracing you with His care. His promise is true when He says, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” He searches the world for the faithful. Will you be one of His?

For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing out in the valleys and hills, a land of wheat and barley, of vines and fig trees and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey, a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity, in which you will lack nothing, a land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills you can dig copper. And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land He has given you. Deuteronomy 8:7-10