Grace and peace to you in the name of Lord Jesus Christ.
Hear the Word of God, from Joshua 14.6-14:
"Now the people of Judah approached Joshua at Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, “You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God at Kadesh Barnea about you and me. I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. So on that day Moses swore to me, ‘The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance and that of your children forever, because you have followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly.’ “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, 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. You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” Then Joshua blessed Caleb son of Jephunneh and gave him Hebron as his inheritance. So Hebron has belonged to Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite ever since, because he followed the Lord, the God of Israel, wholeheartedly."
I am a child of the hill country.
Born and raised in "wild, wonderful West Virginia," I never fail to marvel at the beauty of the hills. The hills convey a sense of strength, stability, and security to my soul. The hills are a blessing from God to my spirit. I love the hills.
Of course, the hills can also present challenges. Anyone who has traveled through West Virginia in the snows and ice of winter can attest to that reality. More than one native has moved to more level and more temperate regions upon retirement; after all, who in the world would willingly tackle the challenges of the hill country in the latter stages of life if they didn't need to do so?
Apparently, there was once a man who was willing to do just that: Caleb. You see, after being delivered from slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were led by God to the border of Canaan, a land “flowing with milk and honey” that God had promised they would inherit. Their leader Moses chose twelve men, one from each tribe, to scout the land before entering. Among them was Caleb, representing the tribe of Judah. The twelve spied out the land for forty days and then came back to Moses. They reported that the land was indeed fruitful, but its inhabitants were the mighty descendants of Anak. Terrified by the size and strength of the Canaanites, ten of the spies warned Moses not to enter Canaan. But Caleb presented the minority report: “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." Caleb took his stand because he "followed the Lord wholeheartedly." Caleb knew of the promises of God to the Israelites, and, despite evidence of overwhelming obstacles, he had faith that God would give them victory over the Canaanites.
Unfortunately, the people of Israel ignored Caleb and listened to the majority report of the other spies. They were so frightened and disillusioned that they cried all night, wishing they had died at the hands of their slave masters in Egypt. They turned on Caleb and Joshua (the spy from the tribe of Ephraim) and wanted to stone them on the spot. In response, God declared that the people would wander in the wilderness until all of that faithless generation had died. But God said that “my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly," and gave him the promise that he would one day own all of the land he had viewed as a spy.
The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years until all of that generation, except Joshua and Caleb, died. After the years of wandering and five more years of war within Canaan, Caleb was 85 years old; yet he was as strong as ever and able to fight the same Anakites that had frightened his countrymen years earlier. So, he boldly asked to be awarded his promised hill country, with its large and fortified cities, declaring that, "the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.”
And he did.
The Bible doesn't explicitly say this, but the text certainly implies that Caleb neither saw his age as an impediment to the task before him nor viewed the arduous wilderness trek of the previous 40 years as a wasteful and tiresome drain on his energy. He believed that the challenges he had faced, with God's help, had simply put him in better position and condition to face the new challenge before him.
After a long and difficult time, this was Caleb's "new year's resolution:" "Give me this hill country that the Lord promised me!"
I can't speak for you, but, for me, 2020 was some of the toughest "hill country" I've ever encountered in my life. A large portion of the year seemed to be a tiresome and frustrating trip of "wandering through the wilderness." Yes, the year offered some blessings, but, at the age I have now arrived, traveling through "the hill country" of life is something I'd rather be remembering than anticipating.
Yet, I've had time to pray and reflect on 2020 (granted, sleepless nights in a hospital room offer that opportunity!), and God has continually reminded me of the story of Caleb. In light of that story, I keep asking myself, "Was 2020 merely an experience to be survived and remembered, or was it something God has used to condition and position me for some approaching hill country that will in actuality be my Promised Land?" I have trouble believing it: after all, I'm 57, I just had quadruple-bypass surgery, Covid-19 is still disrupting life in our society and world in brutal ways, and, suddenly without a pulpit, I have to find a new job/career. However, just because I have trouble believing it doesn't mean that God would have any trouble bringing it about. After all, God says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for me?" (Jeremiah 32.27) Also, as the angel Gabriel said to Mary upon announcing that she would give birth to the Promised Savior, "Nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1.37).
Brothers and sisters, it may just be that God has used the difficult hill-country journey of 2020 to condition and position you for victory in an important aspect of your life in 2021 and beyond. I don't want to make light of the struggles you've faced or hurts/sorrows that you've experienced; they have been real, and in many cases have no doubt left scars. Still, it bears remembering and repeating that, in the cross of His Son Jesus, God took a negative sign (-) and turned it into a plus sign (+). God can take the hill country that was difficult to traverse and turn it into an inspiring vision of beauty and possibility that enables greater success and satisfaction in the hill country that is always just ahead of us.
Of course God can do this. Nothing is impossible with God! Is anything too hard for God? By no means! Can you look back on the hill country of 2020 and know that, through faith in Jesus, you can boldly take on any hill country in front of you in 2021? YES!
I'll be praying for your journey through this new year and beyond. And if you know of a congregation looking for a pastor, contact me...my engine has been overhauled, my gas tank is full, and I'm just about ready for a scenic trip through more of God's hill country. Give me a mountain.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always.
Amen.
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