Navigating the Mysteries of FaithSample

Don’t Settle for Less

We often have perspectives akin to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. Like these tribes of Israel, we have journeyed through the wilderness of life, feeling lost and thirsty. However, we have also witnessed God’s incredible interventions.

The Gadites were there every day when manna appeared on the desert ground. The Reubenites were present when the Red Sea parted.

You too have experienced amazing things: God’s provision, comfort, and assistance. But amid life in the desert, these memories can be difficult to hold onto. It is far easier to dwell on negative memories.

Like the tribes of Reuben and Gad, we have also received God’s promises. For Gad and Reuben, this promise was a land “flowing with milk and honey.” For us, it’s the Kingdom of Heaven, as proclaimed by Jesus, which has not only been promised but has also arrived!

Perhaps these promises seem too incredible to believe. They may appear too enigmatic for us to comprehend. Thus, like these two tribes of Israel, we settle for something less.

We can envision how things might align with our desires, and we request those lesser things from God, rather than waiting for His best. We don’t need His mysterious promises, which might come with unforeseen challenges. We are content with what makes logical sense to us, what we can manage and understand, and that seems sufficient.

Nevertheless, God calls us to be faithful. He beckons us towards the Promised Land, and He empowers and equips us to courageously fight for it.

Yet, our lesser nature prefers something less complicated and less challenging. We yearn for an easier, simpler path. Honestly, we often favor relying more on ourselves than on something beyond our control.

Don’t settle for a diluted version of life. There is more. God has promised a new perspective, a better place. If we settle for our agenda, we risk disqualifying ourselves from all that God has in store for us.

Furthermore, the Lord has given us much more than what the Reubenites and Gadites had in their day. It is not technology nor the satellite positional guiding system. We have the great Comforter Jesus left with us when He went back to the Father.

Lord, Your Holy Spirit constrains us to be restless. I have tasted Your goodness, and I have seen Your great wonders; I don’t want to settle for less than what my heart knows is possible. I abandon myself to Your guidance into new territories, new streams of living waters, and new victories for me and Your kingdom.