#120 COURAGE TO OVERCOME TROUBLE

"Give me this mountain!" These were the words of Caleb - brave words that show the power of a positive goal and immense faith in God.  The goal was forty-five years old, the faith even older.  Forty-five years ago, Caleb, along with eleven other soldiers, had crept into Canaan to spy out the land.  And God promised them this land.  They did not see all of it, but they did see "this mountain." And it was this very place that crushed their courage.  They saw the giants- the sons of Anak, there, Numbers 13:33.  Only Joshua and Caleb kept faith.  They urged, "Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it."(Numbers 13:30) God had promised them victory, so the Anakims did not frighten them.  "The Lord is with us; fear them not," they argued, Numbers 14:9.  But the people said, "No." These faithful men were not defeated on the battlefield but at the voting booth.  So they wandered for four long decades. Forty-five years is a long time - long enough for one to lose sight of his goal - long enough for his faith to weaken.

But Caleb remembered God's promise: "My servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land whereinto he went; and his seed shall possess it."(Numbers 14:24) So Caleb kept his faith.  Sure, the Anakims were still there.  Their cities would be stronger now than forty-five years ago, and their weapons more sophisticated and powerful.  But that did not bother Caleb.  He said, "Give me this mountain ... if so the Lord will be with me, then I shall be able to drive them out, as the Lord said."(Joshua 14:12) Caleb was now 85 years old.  And he dared to ask for "this mountain" which he must take away from the giants.  It was the most difficult spot to be conquered.  But he wanted this invincible mountain assigned to him.  He deliberately chose the hardest task.  It was aligned with his goal and his faith.  If anyone in the nation had earned the right to retire and live the rest of his days in comfort, it was Caleb.  All the members of that "spy ring" had died, except Caleb and Joshua.  But his goal and his faith were still strong.  Men who lack vision see the mountains covered with hostile forces.  Those with vision see the enemy, but also see the power of God.

When Elisha and his servant were holed-up in the little city of Dothan, things got terribly tense.  The king of Syria had sent an army to destroy them.  When Elisha's servant saw enemy troops surrounding the city, the heart went out of him.  This was the end.  But faith sees things invisible to the faithless.  So Elisha prayed, "Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see." And God opened that servant's eyes and he saw that "the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire."(11 Kings 6:17) The practical man is the hero of our day.  But he is no match for the man of faith.  When God wants a work accomplished he selects a person of indomitable courage.  To shun confrontation with difficulty is natural.  When there is trouble, we whimper. But Caleb was different.  Not only did he refuse to whine - he asked to be put right in the middle of it.  That takes a lot of courage.

During the coming months and years there will be mountains to be faced.  With God's help you can climb, and conquer them.  But God's spiritual blessings depend upon our willingness to do His will, I Peter 3:12.