“Now then, give me this hill country about which the Lord spoke on that day, for you heard on that day that Anakim were there, with great fortified cities; perhaps the Lord will be with me, and I will drive them out as the Lord has spoken.” (Joshua 14:12)
Many of God’s richest blessings lie on the other side of battles we would rather avoid. But sometimes you have to do the hard thing before you see the good thing. At 85 years old, Caleb still wanted the mountain God had promised 45 years earlier. Caleb teaches us two important truths about doing hard things.
First, we need to trust God’s Word more than our own feelings or abilities. While others reacted to what they saw, Caleb trusted what God said. The other ten spies had the same information Caleb and Joshua had. Yet they interpreted God’s Word through their circumstances. Caleb and Joshua interpreted the circumstances through God’s Word.
You see, it’s not enough to simply know what God says. You have to let His Word override emotions that contradict what God has said. Don’t underestimate the power of fear, anxiety, and doubt. Such feelings and attitudes will try to convince you that your circumstance is an exception. You may think: Surely God didn’t mean that in this case!
Second, when you trust God for hard things, you’re believing His promises are greater than your problems. Mount Hebron was well fortified and filled with giants. What others saw as a mountain of obstacles, Caleb saw as a doorway to blessing. Like Caleb, your faith can rest in God’s faithfulness. He will keep His promises. Hebrews 10:23 encourages us to, “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
You may be tested, disciplined, experience hardship, persecution, and even great suffering—but you will never be forsaken when you trust God’s Word and rest in His faithfulness. That’s why David wrote, “I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his descendants begging bread” (Psalm 37:25).
What battle are you facing? Has your marriage grown apart? It may be hard, but you can grow back together. Are you struggling with the hard decisions of being a parent? You can do the hard thing—not because you want to but because it’s the thing in front of you today. Life is hard, but God is faithful. Doing hard things prepares us for His promises, and the process is worth the struggle.
