God Will Not Abandon You

 Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

In our lives, there are times we make decisions to do certain things, and as we begin to do them, we encounter realities and challenges that we did not expect. These challenges are what discourage us, making us feel like we will not be able to achieve our goals.

But in today's verse, we see God encouraging the Israelites because their hearts were broken, and they lost hope after realizing the military strength of the people living in Canaan, the land that God told them was their inheritance.

The Israelites began their journey from Egypt to Canaan with great enthusiasm and joy, but when they reached the wilderness, many things discouraged them to the point where they sinned against God. But the main thing that broke their hearts was the bad news brought by the spies sent to Canaan. God's word says, "But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are.' And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there were of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.' Numbers 13:31-33."

These reports disheartened the Israelites, and they lost hope, deciding to return to Egypt. "That night, all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, 'If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?' And they said to each other, 'We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.' Numbers 14:1-4."

This angered God because these people did not believe in Him. They were afraid when they saw the strength of their enemies and forgot that they had a God who was mightier than them and would fight for them. God then swore that those who wanted to return to Egypt would not enter the promised land, and indeed, all of them died in the wilderness except their children, who entered Canaan.

This story is very saddening, isn’t it? Now, what you need to learn from this story is not to give up or be afraid when you encounter challenges, especially if you are doing something that God has promised to make successful.

If you are doing business, do not be afraid of your competitors' capabilities, even if they have more capital or more experience than you. Let this not intimidate you. God is with you, and you will succeed. Do not fear the enemies who oppose you; God will make you succeed in ways you do not know. Just believe in Him and work diligently.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you are my shepherd; you are with me to protect and prosper me on my journey. I ask you to remove fear and discouragement from me. I choose to be courageous and to have faith in you. Amen.