Little by Little

The children of Israel were preparing to take over Canaan, the land God had promised to Abraham and his descendants. It was, however, inhabited by enemy nations that would have to be defeated. God gave Moses instructions for the people. "The Lord your God will drive those nations out ahead of you little by little. You will not clear them away all at once, otherwise the wild animals would multiply too quickly for you." (Deuteronomy 7:22)

Many of our personal battles, too, are not won in a day. We often wish they were; we want quick action, and quick answers to our prayers. We've become accustomed to immediacy, from the microwave in the kitchen to the red telephone on the President's desk. In reality, most things take time.

A number if years ago, a cousin and I were both enrolled in a graduate program at a university located in another city. For several semesters, we commuted the ninety miles or so together. Trying to balance jobs and motherhood and church involvement along with part-time schooling was a daunting task, and many times it looked like it couldn't be done. She reminded me often, when we were both tired and facing difficulties on every front, "It will yield to steady pressure."

Steady pressure is a very powerful force. Why does a building suddenly collapse under the weight of the snow piled on its roof for several days? How can a dental appliance correct the alignment of teeth or jaws? The snow did not suddenly become heavier; the braces didn't suddenly push harder. The roof, the teeth, yielded to steady pressure. Little by little, while not anything apparent was happening, preparation was being made for change. In our personal lives too, some things just cannot be accomplished quickly. Sometimes it is a matter of praying and then waiting patiently for the right circumstances to come around. Other times, only our consistent, determined effort will bring the results we desire.

When God aided His people to conquer Canaan, it was only "little by little." How tragic it would have been to win their battles only to be overpowered by the wild animals which lived in the land. If every difficulty of ours were to be solved immediately, who knows what dangers might lay ahead of us in subtle forms we did not expect? God's timing protects us!

MaryMartha
(All rights reserved)

Scripture quotation taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com