Transitions

Deuteronomy 11:8 Therefore you shall keep every commandment which I command you today, that you may be strong, and go in and possess the land which you cross over to possess.  (NKJV).

Deuteronomy, Moses’ Upper Desert Discourse, is a series of messages from the 120-year-old leader.  It is addressed to the new generation of the people of Israel, who were destined to possess the land of promise.

They were on the threshold of a major transition.

What would God say to us if we were on the threshold of a life-changing transition?  If we knew we were at that point, what would our devotional life, our prayer life, and our walk with God be like?

The last Brief Word (Brief Word #62 I Must Just Trust www.goodwords.nz/brief-word-62-october-2016/) opened with this paragraph:

In times of transition, things can be uncertain, unknown, dangerous and scary.  We are going from one known solid secure place, to another presumably known solid secure place.  Transition is like the bridge linking the two places.  The bridge may not look that good to us, or we may not even see much of the bridge at all. 

A transition is the process of changing from one state or style, to another.  Transitions are sometimes the scary, unstable, unknown, uncharted times of life.

The bit in the middle is always the challenge!  Those are the times that require faith.

I know a little about transition right now.  Last weekend I received a badly bruised chest and according to the Doctor pulled or damaged a chest muscle.  (Go-carting with the grandkids can be like that!).  It was very sore for a few days, and I could hardly move.  I could stand OK, and sit reasonably comfortably OK, but, the transition from standing to sitting, and from sitting to standing was extricating!

In God’s process of things embracing the changes and the transitional process will always require us somewhere, at some point, to say to the Lord, and to others; ‘yes, I will, I’m in’.

Is there something right now we need to say, ‘yes, I will, I’m in’ to?

Notice a progression in Deuteronomy 11:8  a) Be strong.  b) Go in.  c) Cross over.  d) Possess x2.

To possess and inherit the promises usually always takes faith and obedience.

Charles Spurgeon’s says this in his Morning & Evening devotional;

“Faith is the foot of the soul by which it can march along the road of the commandments. Love can make the feet move more swiftly; but faith is the foot which carries the soul. Faith is the oil enabling the wheels of holy devotion and of earnest piety to move well; and without faith the wheels are taken from the chariot, and we drag heavily”.

I say; “Faith is the oil on the wheels of obedience”.

But in the process of transition, there’s always the promise of better things.  Life will be better when we’ve crossed the bridge, when we have “crossed over” into the new.

Remember, “With the revelation of transition there’s always the promise of provision.”

The Scriptures speak significantly of ‘New things’.  But those ‘New things’ always means change.

Isaiah 43:19  Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.  (NKJV).

… shall you not know it? …  In other words, we could miss it!  What God does.

There’s going to be some new ROADS of God’s building, the things God does.  Fresh ideas, new methods, new moves.  People will find God, wholeness, health, healing, hope, love, forgiveness and freedom in new ways, on new “roads”.  These things are all part of what’s on the other side of transition.  Oh do them now Lord!

Many of us love some change, as it can be exciting.  But most of God’s changes come on the back of obedience.

Nikki Giovanni says;

“A lot of people resist transition and therefore never allow themselves to enjoy who they are. Embrace the change, no matter what it is; once you do, you can learn about the new world you’re in and take advantage of it.”

Trust the process.  Embrace the Promise.  Believe the transition will bring us to a better place, into God’s promises for us.

Transitions carry within them some gold.  Lessons of growth and development for our soul and spirit.  When we’re on the other side, we can look back, take stock, count our blessings and document what we’ve learned and how God has brought us through.

The transition we might be in right now, may be uncertain, unknown, dangerous and scary.  But we have God’s very great and sure promises that He is with us, that He will bring us safely to the other side.

Embrace the promise.  Be strong.  Cross over.