Little by Little

God miraculously delivers. This we all agree on, but our problem is we want God to do it quickly like the Exodus, where God sent all these plagues in a short span of time allowing the people to walk out.

That’s what we want. We want immediate deliverance, but that may not always be the best. Look at what the Lord said to the children of Israel as they went to possess the Promised Land.

“I will send the hornet ahead of you to drive the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites out of your way. But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land.” (Exodus 23:28-30 NIV)

God begins by sending His Angel ahead of them, one in which His holy name is upon, and in whom they shouldn’t rebel. And if they will listen to Him, He will bring them into the Promised Land (Exodus 23:20-23).

This angel is no One less than pre-incarnate Jesus. It says that if they wouldn’t obey Him, then He would not pardon their transgressions. Only God can forgive sins, not an angel.

And so when we listen and follow Jesus, He will not only deliver us, but He will go before us bringing us into the fullness of His promises.

But He usually doesn’t deliver in an instance, but rather He does so over time so we can learn and grow.

That’s how the Lord brought the children of Israel into the Promised Land, little by little, so the people would receive the full benefits and blessings of the land, and the cities could be inhabited and the fields remain productive.

If you’ve found yourself needing God’s deliverance, first listen and obey Jesus, and He will lead you, just don’t become impatient while waiting for His promises.