Then the Lord said to me, “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north.”
Deuteronomy 2:2-3 (NIV)
My company does a lot of customer research. It’s the core of what Intelligentics does. Just this week I’m working on four different customer research projects for clients. Over 30-plus years, it’s been fascinating to have observed how customer expectations have changed. Because of technology and stark generational differences the consumer landscape is changing at a brisk clip. Businesses are wise to invest in listening to their customers.
What has been growing as a key driver of customer expectation and satisfaction are time-related dimensions of service. We have become used to having a world of information at our fingertips. From a consumer perspective, we can do almost anything instantly on the phone in our hand at any time wherever we happen to be. The result? We are an increasingly impatient people. I see it every day in the data our customer research produces.
The impact of these changes is not just on business. It’s impacting life and relationships. It’s having a spiritual impact, as well.
Ever since I surrendered and committed my life to Jesus as a teenager, I have trekked this earthly journey as a faith journey. I am ever seeking the purpose God has for me and the Story He is authoring in it. In doing so, I have learned three important spiritual truths:
Timing is everything.
Waiting is hard.
God’s timing is perfect.
In today’s chapter, Moses continues sharing memories as mentorship to a new generation of Hebrew tribes preparing to enter the Promised Land. On the surface, the text feels a bit stale and boring. When I step back, however, and look at the Story that is being unpacked, it’s rich with these spiritual truths.
He tells of their 38 years of wandering.
Then God says, “It’s time. Turn north. Move.”
There command to move comes with instructions:
Don’t provoke Edom, Moab, or Ammon (they are family, even if estranged). God’s promise comes with boundaries.
Then comes the pivotal pivot:
It’s time to cross the Arnon Gorge—and now, now, God says, “Rise up. I have given Sihon king of Heshbon into your hands.” The battle begins, the land opens, and Israel steps into a season of forward motion after almost four decades of waiting.
Today’s chapter is about restraint, timing, and finally stepping into what God has purposed, planned, and prepared.
Which brings me back to our current world. I tap a screen and groceries appear. Click early enough in the day and the package will be on my porch before dinner. It’s no wonder we expect instant gratification. Technology has so successfully met this desire in so many areas of our lives that its increasingly driving expectation in every aspect of our lives.
How is this going to affect my faith journey? Spiritual formation and spiritual maturity take time. There are no short-cuts. There’s no pharmaceutical for instant wisdom. There is a discipline of Spirit that one learns as you ask, seek, and knock through seasons of waiting and wilderness wanderings. There is a form of obedience that requires restraint rather than action. There is an attentiveness required to be able to respond when the moment finally arrives.
“Turn north. Time to move.”
In the quiet this morning, I find myself reflecting on the many different seasons of waiting I have endured along this faith journey. Memory is a mentor. I’m also meditating on God’s call on me to move into a new season of life right now and all the feelings that stirs in my spirit after so many years of waiting. Finally, I find myself praying for my children and grandchildren, these next generations. I pray God’s grace to embrace the waiting in a world that is increasingly unwilling to do so.
And so, as the new day dawns, I ask for grace to wait well…
and courage to turn north when He whispers, “Now.”
If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.
