My word from the Lord this morning came from Psalm 27:13 I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  As I began to meditate on that and process all of the places in my soul that the Lord has walked me through over the last year, my heart wandered back to a place where I was as a young girl.  I was with my dad and he was teaching me how to drive for the first time high up in the mountains. We had this gigantic Jimmy that was blue and white.  The steering was so sensitive that if you so much as sneezed and moved the wheel, you could end up on the wrong side of the 'road'.  My family spent the summer time in the same mountains my dad would hunt in the fall and he knew every inch of those woods.  I completely trusted him as he took me up in the canyons in that gargantuan GMC.  There were really only two rules he gave me:  1.  If a logging truck comes flying at you from around the corner, get as far over to the other side of the one lane road as you can without going into the ditch, or else that truck would be in my lap. 2.  Don't go off the other side of the road, which was the cliff side, or we would both be dead.  That may seem like a pretty dramatic way for a father to teach his little girl how to drive, but in all actuality, my dad was instilling valuable principles in me that would help me walk through storms that would no doubt come in my life.  My belief was that my dad was going to teach me how to become a good driver and that I just had to trust in his ways in order for it to be so.

As I thought about those canyons from so long ago, the Lord took me to this passage of scripture in Deuteronomy 2:3 You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.  I read on about how Moses was to lead the Israelites through Edom, Moab, and Ammon peacefully.  This was no easy feat! These were not good folk and they let the Israelites know they wanted nothing to do with them. God instructed them not to make any kind of waves at all, he required the utmost standard of obedience. It was for what was to come next. Deuteronomy 2:24-25 “Arise, set out, and pass through the valley of Arnon. Look! I have given Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land into your hand; begin to take possession and contend with him in battle. ‘This day I will begin to put the dread and fear of you upon the peoples everywhere under the heavens, who, when they hear the report of you, shall tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

When I read about the battle at Heshbon, I knew there was more to it so I first inquired about the Arnon river gorge that they first had to cross.  I learned that the name Arnon means "rushing torrent". It was an important place in biblical times as it was a much sought after border territory.  The trench was 1700 feet deep and two miles wide.  Imagine the terrain!  It was not without faith that they would cross this valley, the Lord had given them hope that they would attain the land that Sihon possessed.  I applied this knowledge to my own life in that the pursuit of victory can be very taxing on the soul.  Obedience to God to do 'whatever' He asks to take on territory is not a walk in the park.  He likens it to crossing 1700 foot trenches of jagged sandstone and that's just the preparation for the battle!  Let's not mention the weariness they were already experiencing from crossing through Edom, Moab, and Ammon without fulfilling basic needs.  I'll bet they had a better appreciation for the manna God provided after that!

Sihon, king of Heshbon, also refused to let the Israelites pass through.  Heshbon was his capital, his stronghold but the Lord strengthened His people and they took it by the edge of the sword. It was given to the Israelites upon their entry to the promised land, just as the Lord said it would be.  That is seeing God's goodness in the land of the living!  Perhaps the thing about Heshbon that I find most intriguing in not anything mentioned about it in Deuteronomy or Numbers but in the Song of Solomon 7:4.  It says, "Your neck is like an ivory tower, your eyes like the pools in Heshbon by the gate of Bath Rabbim.  Your nose is like the tower of Lebanon which looks towards Damascus." For the Shulamite's eyes to be compared to it, Heshbon would have to be a pretty important place.  The scripture goes on to describe the kind of intimacy that only comes through maturity and obedience.  I felt the Lord was saying that these kinds of battles, the kind that require a gold standard of obedience and denial of oneself will ultimately produce the goodness of God found only in His promise.

It's probably been twenty-five years since my dad took me on my first driving lesson.  So much has happened in my life between now and then that's caused  much pain and grief. Like the Israelites in their desert wandering, I've spent a lot of time complaining about the way God has provided for me.  I have strived many times to see the promises of God come to pass and I've been bitten by the serpents in the process.  The pain of my sin reminds me where to look and God strengthens me every time, he never fails.  The rules my dad gave me on those narrow canyon roads are biblical truths.  Never compromise.  When life throws you a logging truck on a one lane gravel road, be smart enough to get out of the way!  Become meek and humble, use wisdom, and if the road should happen to narrow and you find yourself looking off the edge of the cliff, be careful!  The Way is dangerous and there will be many obstacles but God is with us and won't let us veer off the road if we keep our eyes on the promise.  Even if we do spend time gazing into the valley, He is faithful to remind us of the cost.  Surely we will see goodness in the land of the living!