Forty years of wandering in the wilderness brought Israel to stand upon a mountaintop overlooking the land of promise. Every Israelite over twenty years of age when they left Egypt under Moses’ leadership was dead, except for three. Every Israelite under 40 only knew wandering. So, to find themselves in a place of blessing had to be this incredible range of emotions.
While it sounds strange, undoubtedly, one of those feelings had to be, “We don’t deserve to be here. This can’t be our land. I’m not in the right place”
We can wrestle with not just the difficult seasons of life but also the good seasons. When life is in rhythm, things are breaking our way, and the days feel full of promise and blessing; doubt, confusion, negativity, and even self-loathing can become persuasive in our minds. “I’m in the wrong place. I don’t deserve to be here.” You can feel like a foreigner in the land of blessings.
That’s why we should cling to the same thing in good places and in difficult places: The Love and grace found in Christ. Every place of life is meant to drive you into a deeper understanding of God’s Grace. Both the good places and the bad places can drive you away from God if you’re not grounded in a strong understanding of His grace. You’ll end up walking away from God in self-absorption either way. Either it will be self-pity or self-arrogance.
Paul understood this when he said
“I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:12-13 ESV)
I know you can feel like a foreigner standing in a land of blessings, and I know you can feel homeless wandering in a land of struggle. The key to finding peace in both is to be grounded in God's grace and love. In Christ, we can find peace and strength in the land of nothing and in the land of plenty because His grace and love are enough.
Endure the difficult places by focusing on God’s love and grace.
And ENJOY the land of blessings by focusing on God’s love and grace. Granted, we don’t deserve them, but God’s love and grace are meant to show us how good and marvelous He really is.