READING: Exodus 22-24
“I will drive them out little by little ahead of you.”
Exodus 23:30
I have turned to this text many times when I’ve needed encouragement: “I will not drive them out ahead of you in a single year; otherwise, the land would become desolate, and wild animals would multiply against you. I will drive them out little by little ahead of you until you have become numerous and take possession of the land” (Exo. 23:29-30). God would indeed grant the Hebrews victory when they entered the Promised Land, but He would do it on His timing. The general takeover of the land would occur fairly quickly, but final victory would take more time—and God knew that granting them victory “little by little” was to their good.
“Little by little”—those are the words to which I’ve often clung . . .
. . . when the growth of my church seems to be going slowly
. . . when God is answering my prayers, but seemingly in “segments”
. . . when I’m praying for someone to come to Christ, but the movement in that direction seems to be slow
. . . anytime I’m praying, and God just seems to be taking His time
Today’s reading reminds me that our sovereign God always has a reason—a right reason—for answering us “little by little.” He sees the big picture. He knows what awaits us. He wants the best for us. He knows the times when, if He were to answer our prayers quickly, we would not be ready for the answer. Thus, we must trust Him in the meantime as He brings His answer to fruition.
ACTION STEPS:
- If you’re waiting for God to answer your prayer, wait faithfully.
- Teach somebody about God’s responding to us “little by little.”
PRAYER: “Father, I want to trust You at all times. Help me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Exodus 25-28