Give Me My Hill Country
Joshua led a new generation of Israelites, those who had not known the captivity of Egypt and the miracles of the Exodus, into the Promise Land. He realized that they had giants ahead of them and that the supernatural victories of the past were a key for courage and vision to face the future. As they had their own “Red Sea experience”, this one at the Jordan he commanded them to take stones from the now then dry bottom of the river to build a memorial to what God has done as a reminder to themselves and future generations (see Joshua 3-4).
The reality for you and I is that when giants are ahead of us, it’s all too common to forget the victories of the past. One of my good friends and mentors, Mike, told me years ago, “Your vision for the future will only be as clear as your gratitude for the past.” We see that clearly in the Exodus story. Moses sends the spies in to spy out the land, and they’re terrified by what lies ahead of them - they forgot the miraculous victories of the past.
When we forget what God has done in the past it’s easy to move into the limited thinking of self-reliance and what we can do on our own. The truth for you and I is that a future based on what I can do, sounds really dull. I’m not interested in that kind of life.
The older we get, the more tempting it is to settle into a play-it-safe mindset. I’m inspired by Caleb who in Joshua 14 said, “I am eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then. Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day!” (Joshua 14:10-12)
A “new year” is an interesting thing. On one hand it’s simply another day on the calendar, and yet it seems like an incredible opportunity to reflect and live and goals and vision. There’s something in our thinking that thrives on the boundaries of a year. As you step into the 2025, whether your 25 or 85, I encourage you to do it with deep gratitude for the ways God has moved in your life and do it with courages and faith-filled vision for what lies ahead - we have some giants to slay and a hill country that has been promised to us!
Here are a some prompts to spark your vision for the days ahead:
What’s your Exodus story of past victories and what are your memorial stones? How did you see God move in and around your life in 2024?
Take time to thank God for what He has done. Every year Lauren & I do this with our kids to wrap up one year and courageously step into another.
What is your Promise Land, your hill country? What has God promised to you that you have yet to walk into?
Take time to remember the promises of God for your life and to listen to him for what He is speaking to you for the days ahead.
