Blog

by Logan Ames

Have you ever planned to do something that you were absolutely certain God had set in your heart to do? It could be a dream or passion that you believe he gave you, a command you feel you have to follow that came directly from God, or a promise he guaranteed for you if you simply trusted in him every step of the way. Anyone who has walked with the Lord for any period of time can probably point to a season of their lives where they were following a plan they thought God had created just for them only to find that nothing but obstacles stood in their way. How we respond to those obstacles is a matter of faith versus fear.

Recently, a story out of college football and the annual NFL Scouting Combine further illustrated this. A young man from the University of Central Florida by the name of Shaquem Griffin, who dreams of playing in the NFL, was able to bench press 225 pounds 20 times and also ran the fastest 40-yard dash time in the history of the combine for linebackers. He also had a wonderful college playing career that culminated with him being named Defensive MVP of the Peach Bowl just two months ago. While these accolades would be impressive for any athlete dreaming of making it to the NFL, they are exaggerated by the fact that Griffin had his left hand amputated when he was just 4 years old! Observers at the bench press said they’d be surprised if he was able to do even 5 reps, but he blew them away by getting 20 even with a prosthetic hand to grip the bar. Shaquem Griffin has had a dream of playing in the NFL since he was a kid, destined to join his twin brother who is already there. But even if he felt it was his destiny, his resolve was tested with the obstacle of having one less hand than everyone else. His passion, desire, and hard work has allowed him to face that obstacle and many others with faith rather than fear. If he is drafted into the NFL in just over a month, his dream will have been realized despite the circumstances that stood against him.

I have no idea if Shaquem Griffin is a follower of Jesus Christ or not, but I do know that his determination in the face of adversity is an example to all of us, especially believers. When God gives us a command or a promise, it’s not even about chasing our own dreams and desires at that point. We have something even greater. In the Old Testament, God had promised Abraham and his many descendants in Israel that they would be given a land of their own, a land flowing with milk and honey. This would become known as the “Promised Land." To experience God’s promises, we are generally required to take some action. God often works in a way that includes us. When Moses was leading the Israelites through the wilderness and they knew they’d be approaching the Promised Land, he was told by the Lord to send men from each tribe of Israel to explore the land of Canaan, which was the Promised Land. Moses obeyed God and ordered the men to go just as he had been told to do (Numbers 13:1-20).

When the men who went to spy on the land returned, the difference between walking by faith and by fear was all of a sudden crystal clear. Numbers 13:27-29 tells us that most of the men first talked about how the land indeed flows with milk and honey just as God said it would, but then immediately turned their attention toward the obstacles, which included fortified cities, lots of enemies, and some very large people who would be impossible to defeat in their eyes. It was at this moment that one of the spies, a man named Caleb who represented the tribe of Judah, decided he had heard just about enough of this malarkey. According to verse 30, Caleb “silenced the group," stood up before Moses and everyone else and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it." This took some serious guts, but more importantly, serious faith. Caleb was probably a little stunned that his countrymen could be so easily driven away from God’s promise by a few obstacles. Unfortunately, Caleb’s attempt to steer them back onto the road of faith fell on deaf ears, and the men continued to live in fear and even “spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored” (v. 32).

We should not miss what happened there. The spies who allowed their fear and negative circumstances to cripple them weren’t just content with keeping it to themselves. They made sure everyone else knew how they felt. In general, even when we’re wrong, we try to win the popularity contest. Even when we’re wrong and caught up in sin, we need to get as many people on our side as we can. It changes nothing about truth and reality, but sure does make us “feel better." This has been a problem with humanity for thousands of years. Today, just like back then, the only way out of this problem is to re-focus our eyes and hearts on God’s truth and promises.

Caleb, this time with help from Joshua (the same one who would later take over as leader of Israel after Moses died), tried again to dissuade everyone else from their fear and negativity. In Numbers 14:6-9, Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes in front of the entire nation of Israel and then proceeded to remind everyone that the land they explored was “exceedingly good” and that it had everything God promised it would have. The tearing of their clothes was a common expression of intense grief. How sad they must have been to see that they were in the minority led by faith while their friends and family members crumbled in fear! After reminding them of what they saw in the land, they spoke about the need to stay on God’s side in order to receive his promises. They pleaded with the people to not rebel against the Lord.

Sadly, even this plea did not change the hardened hearts of the Israelites. True to the words of Caleb and Joshua, he rest of the men who spread the bad report about the land never actually got to receive the promise of God. They were struck down by a plague and died in the wilderness (Numbers 14:37). However, because of Caleb’s faithfulness and Joshua’s support of it, they alone from the group who explored the land were kept alive by God until they could physically enter the Promised Land themselves.

Caleb is not mentioned by name in Hebrews 11, but the writer tells us in verse 33 that some of the unnamed faithful heroes “gained what was promised." There is no question that this description would fit Caleb among others in the Old Testament. The good news is that it can fit you too! In a world where people, even many in the Church, are held back by fear and circumstances that appear impossible, you can stand up and gain what is promised by reminding others of God’s faithfulness, his power, and his promises if we simply walk with him, obey him, and trust him completely. No matter how big the giant is, your God is bigger!

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