“Now therefore, give me this mountain of which the Lord spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and that the cities were great and fortified.  It may be that the Lord will be with me, and I shall be able to drive them out as the Lord said,” Joshua 14:12

At the age of 85, Caleb was more than ready to take what the Lord had promised to him.  You see, when Joshua and Caleb were sent as spies into the land of Canaan there was a promise left for their belief in God.  “Surely the land where your foot has trodden shall be your inheritance and your children’s forever, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God,” Joshua 14:9.  As of yet, Caleb had not gotten his promise.  But, now he was ready to take what the Lord had promised.

Only there was this one thing, the Anakim were there.  The Anakim were giants, nonetheless, their stature brought no fear in the heart of Caleb.  He was ready to “drive them out,” (Joshua 14:12).  In fact, when the rest of Israel was ready to run scared when God first brought them to the Promised Land, he and Joshua were ready then to take care of business.  Years later, this aged gentleman, as some would consider him, was still just as ready to take what God had promised to him.

A lot of times God gives us promises but in our eyes, it may look insurmountable.  Obstacles are in the midst of the promise that makes it appear as though one can never possess it.  I like that Caleb was 85 years old.  I like that it was over 40 years before he had the opportunity to go for his promise.  I like that there were giants in the land that made it look impossible.  I like these three points because they are some of the most popular reasons people give up on waiting for the promises of God.

1.  Caleb was 85 years old, this implies limitations.  Instead of looking to God for their source too many people focus on their own limitations, their own inabilities to get the job done.  Not Caleb!  He didn’t care about his age, God promised it and he was ready for it.  It is as the British Evangelist John Flavel stated, “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.”  The Bible says that God is “able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,” (Ephesians 3:20.  Take the limits off of yourself, and more importantly, take the limits off of God.

2.  Over 40 years implies waiting.  This is something that is very hard for most people.  Many times over in the Bible people waited quite a bit of time before they laid hold of what God said He would do in their lives.  If God said it then He will do it, but our job is to wait.  Here are some encouraging reminders about waiting on God:

• “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength,” (Isaiah 40:31).
• “The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him,” (Lamentations 3:25).
• “Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me,” (Micah 7:7).

3.  There being giants in the land implies obstacles.  Many people look at their dreams, their hopes and the promises of God and can believe them for everyone else except themselves.  To them, it looks as if they can never possess it.  This is a hopelessness that God does not desire to see in His people.  The Bible says, “The just shall live by faith.”  This is a key verse in Scripture and God made sure it was put in there four times (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11 and Heb. 10:38).  We are to have more faith in the God we serve as Caleb did when he said, “It may be that the Lord will be with me,” (Joshua 14:12), then in the obstacles before us.

Don’t be afraid to take your mountain today!  Don’t be afraid to go after what God has already promised you.  Don’t look at your limitations, the waiting, or the obstacles.  God can and will overcome it all to fulfill what He promised to you!  God bless.

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