The Desert to the Promise Land

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Numbers 13 and 14, Joshua 1

5Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  6Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5 and 6)

Here is the story of the Israelites going from Egypt to the Promise Land.  The Israelites were at the border of the Jordan and were planning on crossing over into the land God had promised them.  Moses sent out twelve men to spy out the land.  They came back and reported to the people.  Two of them, Joshua and Caleb, said there would be no problem crossing into the Promise Land.  Yet the other ten said no, there were walled cities, strong armies, and giants in the land. The people of Israel listened to the ten instead of Joshua and Caleb.  God was angry with Israel because they did not trust Him.  I thought of this story a few times during this move from one city to another. 

The Old Apartment

I had been living in my apartment for two years.  I hated the apartment for several reasons.  One was I had not had a working heater, other than a space heater since April.  My landlord would not come in and fix it because of COVID.  Another reason was a creepy neighbor who smoked.  He is a registered sex offender and I caught him looking in my window twice.  I could never be sure if he would do it again even though the landlord told him not to.  After all, the landlord told the creepy neighbor not to smoke inside the building and that never stopped him.  I have asthma and the smell of cigarettes causes a coughing fit.  Other reasons are a lack of storage and a serious mouse problem in the kitchen.  Even Princess, The Mighty Mouse Warrior, could not keep them under control.

In August, my kids independently told me they were moving to the Wausau area.  Wausau is a much larger city with a lot more job opportunities.  My oldest son was the first to move.  I went down to visit him the day after.  I was impressed with his apartment and suddenly I wanted a new apartment.  I got back to Rhinelander and started to think seriously about and prayed about it.  Yet, I could not imagine how I could possibly move.  God said Trust Me.

The Search

I started looking at apartments not really expecting anything.  I found a 55+ senior apartment and started the application process.  It was a lot of work and many papers to print.  After I sent off the first batch of paperwork I started to wonder if living in this type of apartment was what I really wanted.  I started to look at other apartments and found Fox Run apartments.  The 55+ place wanted more paperwork and a visit to the vet for Princess.  I filled out the application for Fox Run wondering where I would be able to come up with the security deposit.  God kept whispering to me Trust Me.  I sent the second round of paperwork and Fox Run’s application on a Wednesday.  The following Monday I called to make sure Fox Run had my application.  By Thursday I was approved.  (To this day I never heard back from the 55+ place.)

Suddenly I was moving to a nice two-bedroom apartment.  Heat was included in the rent.  No smoking within 25 feet of the building.  And best of all, a big kitchen with a dishwasher and tons of storage.  It was the promise land after being in the desert of my old apartment. 

Moving

Yet, moving is hard work!  At times I just wanted to give up and stay in the cold, ugly desert of an apartment and not move to the promise land of the new apartment.   The giants of moving were just too big!  All the planning and packing were wearing me down.  But God reminds me He is bigger than the giants that are keeping me from enjoying the promise land apartment. 

I am all moved in now. (somethings are still in my car, but they are here.)  I still have boxes in my living room to unpack and put away.  I had boxes in my living room for two years at my old apartment I had no room for, but I do now.  I have plenty of room in my big kitchen for all my kitchen stuff.  There are closets for coats, linens and all my clothes.  I also have a room for my office.  Right now, it is filled with boxes, so I am writing in my living room.  The boxes can wait. 

The Couch

During the moving time I fretted about a new couch.  I have not had a couch in about four years.  I had an old recliner which did not recline anymore.  I had no other nice chairs to sit on nor did I have room for them on account of the boxes in the tiny living room.  God said to Trust Him about the couch.  I looked on the marketplace and there were plenty of couches I could afford but I had no way of delivering a couch to my new apartment.  I thought of buying a new one at a furniture store, but I cannot afford that for now.  Then I saw a futon I loved at my Rhinelander Walmart which the Wausau Walmart did not have.  Again, I did not know how I was going to get it to my new apartment.  I was trying to sell my portable washer to pay for it but twice the sale fell through.  So, I was worried I would not have any place to sit in my new apartment.

Yet, God said Trust Me again.  I was telling a coworker I was having trouble selling my washer.  She came to me and said she would buy it from me.  That was Monday of moving week.  I told her what the money from the sale was going for and she said she had two blue chairs I could have.  Tuesday, I went on Walmart.com and found the exact same futon I saw at Rhinelander Walmart.  Better yet, there was a choice in colors, so I got a blue one.  After all, blue is my favorite color.  There was also two-day delivery, so I ordered it and sent it to my new apartment.  It arrived on moving day.

The Helpers

I also worried I would not have enough help moving.  My church ran an ad for helpers two Sundays in a row in the bulleton without my asking them to run it.  My Pastor said he would be there with a couple of guys.  I had asked friends to help but there was no guarantee anyone was showing up.  I set the time for loading for 11am on Thursday and called Uhaul to rent a ten-foot truck from them like I had the last time I moved.  After that I started packing like crazy and thought I will never get all this stuff in a ten-foot truck.  Last time I moved it was within the same city and we took two or three loads. 

The week before moving I was down at the Wausau Walmart trying to get transferred.  After I left Walmart, I went over to Fox Run apartments to drop off the paperwork from the vet.  Erin, the apartment manager was there, and she gave me my keys and told me I could move boxes in but not live there until the 28^th.  So, I thought I would go down as often as possible.

The Truck vs. The Trailer

I must have said something on Facebook about having to take down as much as possible to be assured there would be enough room in the truck.  My ex-husband Mark saw it and messaged me to get a six by twelve trailer instead of the truck and he would pull it with his truck.  It turns out by doing it that way it would save me a hundred dollars, so I called Uhaul again and reserved a trailer.  However, when I met Mark at Uhaul on moving day I saw the size and was worried it was too small.  Mark said it would be fine.  And it was.  Not only did we get almost everything in but about eight people from my church showed up to load the trailer.  It took them about an hour.  One of the older church ladies had dropped of sandwiches and stuff for the movers.  It was amazing!  When we got to my new apartment my niece came and helped unload.  She lives in a town about two hours from here.  It was a great day even though I only got a few hours of sleep the night before.

Conclusion

After forty years in the desert Joshua and Caleb led the people of Israel into the promise land.  God spoke to Joshua these words:

Joshua 1: 7-9

7Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

God wanted me to be strong and courageous.  He also wants me to Trust Him! Notice the verses say to study and meditate in the Word and follow it exactly. If you do you will prosper and succeed in all you do. Now that I am here, I am waiting to see why God has moved me out of the desert apartment into the promise land apartment.

A couple of books I recommend from:

Christianbook.com Home

Joshua: And the Land of Promise – eBook
By F.B. Meyer / CLC Publications

From F.B. Meyer’s outstanding biographies series of the great Biblical figures of faith, here is the exciting story of Joshua. Meyer shows the readers that the story of Joshua’s life can serve to strengthen readers in their faith in God. Seeing God deliver Joshua from his enemies will encourage believers to also look to God for deliverance.

One in a Million: Journey to Your Promised Land
By Priscilla Shirer / B&H Books

Modern day Christians often hear and understand the promises of God each Sunday morning at church but then rarely choose to experience them in everyday life. In One in a Million, Bible teacher Priscilla Shirer invites us to change that pattern for good, living beyond our circumstances and expecting to see God move in miraculous ways day after day. Without a doubt, we can find and follow God’s purpose for our journey. We can make it to the Promised Land! Trade paperback.