Sometimes when we conquer a mountain, we want to stay there. It’s easy to become complacent in a place that’s comfortable. A place where we know what to expect. But God doesn’t mean for us to stay in one place. And at some point, we have to face leaving the mountain.
The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: – Deuteronomy 1:6 KJV
Take the Israelites, for example. They could only stay at Mt. Sinai for so long before they needed to head toward the Promised Land. And the Promised Land held a lot of unknowns. There were obstacles to face, battles to fight. The way was not easy.
But God was there.
In life, we often get through one difficulty and find ourselves struggling to take the next step because we’ve come to know what to expect in our current situation. Moving forward can be frightening. But God will help us take that next step, whatever it may be. And when we find ourselves facing a new mountain, He will help us overcome it.
God might want you to change jobs. Move to a new town. Switch churches. Whatever it may be, making that change can be intimidating. Especially when all we can focus on are the unknowns.
What if the Israelites had resisted leaving the mountain? What if they had decided to just stay where they were and not go into the Promised Land? After all, they had gotten scared when they left Egypt and murmured about going back. They might have liked the idea of freedom, but they didn’t seem fond of the steps it would take to get there.
But if we stay rooted to one spot, we’ll miss God’s plan for our future. He has something in mind for us, whether we realize it or not. And He’s preparing us one step at a time. Sometimes the best way He can prepare us is to guide us through a place of difficulty. Helping us grow in one area and then another before we become who we need to be.
So what is God calling you from? And what is keeping you from leaving the mountain?
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Jennifer Purcell.
Featured Image by Jerry Zhang on Unsplash
