Here is Your Life

Okay...who's ready for a 21-day recap of our lives while the Children of Israel do the same?

     Because that's exactly what the Book of Deuteronomy is. It's like that old Sesame Street segment with Guy Smiley...Do you remember him? He'd come out from behind the curtain and he'd say...

👉 "HERE...is YOUR life!"

And then he'd start bringing people out from your past...

"Do you remember THIS moment?"

"Look who it is!!"

"From way back when....!"

One by one, moments, decisions, seasons and you're sitting there remembering things you hadn't thought about in a long time.

      Some of it makes you smile...

Some of it makes you cringe a little and some of it makes you realize just how far you've come.

      That's what's happening here. Before they step into the Promise Land, God sits them down and says, Let's go back for a minute.

And Moses starts walking them through their story. Not to shame them but to remind them.

      He reminds them of the moment God told them to move forward, to go take the land that was already promised to them. But instead of stepping in, they hesitated. Their Fear was louder than their faith. What they saw felt bigger than what God said.

     And that one decision.... turned what should have been a short journey into 40 years of wandering. And right in the middle of that recap momebt comes this...

👉 "You have stayed long enough at this mountain." (Deut. 1:6)

     God is simply pointing it out and saying,

"This right here... this isn't where you're meant to stay."

    I think we all have places like that. Places we've stayed longer than we should have. Moments we hesitated when we knew what God said. Seasons that stretched out because we let fear or comfort decide for us instead of stepping out in faith. But what I love is that the story doesn't stop there. Because when you get into chapter 2, something shifts.

    👉 "Then we turned and set out..."(Deut. 2:1)

    And it may seem like a simple line, but it's everything. Because it means the wandering didn't last forever. There came a moment where they stopped circling and started moving. And even more than that they begin to walk through some of the same areas again but this time it's different.

      Now God is leading them, there letting him lead. Now there's direction. Now there are boundaries and purpose in every step.

      Same ground but not the same season.

And that's where I am today. There are things in my life I've circled before. Places I've stayed too long. Moments I could have stepped in sooner. But I'm not there anymore. Something has shifted and I'm not circling it this time...I'm moving through it.

    So today, as we begin our walk through Recap...As we start our "HERE is your Life Moment....Let's get serious and ask ourselves some questions...

👉 Where have I been longer than I was meant to be?

And maybe even more important...

👉 Am I ready to move when God says it’s time?

🎯 Today's Anchor

“You have stayed long enough at this mountain.” Deuteronomy 1:6

Day 1....

And it feels like God is gently reminding us,

You can look back, but you don't have to stay there.

Now it's time to move forward. 💛

Love Pastor Mandy

Ark of Hope Ministry 

Daily Reading Deuteronomy 1-2