In my daily Bible I came across this passage in Numbers 32: "They went as far as the valley of Eshcol." I think that is where many of our dreams die. It is the place where we lose heart or lose sight or lose focus. That is as far as the spies got. The promise was about to be fulfilled. It was at their fingertips, but instead they let it slip through their hands.
The valley of Eshcol is the place where we stop trying or stop believing. It is the place where we turn back. But here is what God put in my heart: turning your back on a God-given dream is turning your back on God himself. Obviously, the operative phrase is "God-given." You need to keep going after that dream. Why? Not so you can accomplishment something. Please! You need to go after that God-sized dream because it is the thing that will keep you on your knees living in raw dependence upon God. That is how we grow. And that is how we glorify God.
For those in the valley of Eshcol, here's one verse and one story.
Psalm 37 says, "Wait passionately for God." Most of us wait passively. The Psalmist says wait passionately. How do we wait passionately? One word: prayer.
I just got an email from Randall Brown, founder of Fusion Warehouse in Anderson, SC. I've never met him, but his story inspired me. He read the story in In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day about how we prayed for eight years for Ebenezers Coffeehouse and God miraculously gave us that piece of property. His story is so similar. Randall started doing prayer walks around an empty 70,000 sf Wal-Mart building. He prayed around it every day for three-and-a-half years until one day the Lord said today is the day to call them. They had 47 cents in their bank account. Today that building is home to an incredibly creative student center that is impacting its community!
I hope that encourages those who are in the valley of Eshcol. You may only have 47 cents in your account. You may have been praying for something for three-and-a-half years.
Don't lose heart. Don't lose sight. Don't lose focus.
The valley of Eshcol is the place where we stop trying or stop believing. It is the place where we turn back. But here is what God put in my heart: turning your back on a God-given dream is turning your back on God himself. Obviously, the operative phrase is "God-given." You need to keep going after that dream. Why? Not so you can accomplishment something. Please! You need to go after that God-sized dream because it is the thing that will keep you on your knees living in raw dependence upon God. That is how we grow. And that is how we glorify God.
For those in the valley of Eshcol, here's one verse and one story.
Psalm 37 says, "Wait passionately for God." Most of us wait passively. The Psalmist says wait passionately. How do we wait passionately? One word: prayer.
I just got an email from Randall Brown, founder of Fusion Warehouse in Anderson, SC. I've never met him, but his story inspired me. He read the story in In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day about how we prayed for eight years for Ebenezers Coffeehouse and God miraculously gave us that piece of property. His story is so similar. Randall started doing prayer walks around an empty 70,000 sf Wal-Mart building. He prayed around it every day for three-and-a-half years until one day the Lord said today is the day to call them. They had 47 cents in their bank account. Today that building is home to an incredibly creative student center that is impacting its community!
I hope that encourages those who are in the valley of Eshcol. You may only have 47 cents in your account. You may have been praying for something for three-and-a-half years.
Don't lose heart. Don't lose sight. Don't lose focus.
19 Comments:
Thanks Mark! There is a church building that is closing in our community that we have been praying for. I am believing God for a community center/gym for our community & church. Thanks for the reminder!
Mark thanks for the encouraging word today. i am about to go into staff Tuesday morning prayer time and i am not in that mood. i have a board memeber that has just finished brain surgery to remove 2 toumors that were cancer and has cancer on the right lung, and now they are telling him he may have cancer in the bones of his back. not a good sign. he just happens to be the project manager of our new building project. i hate the enemy, but i trust the Lord and i do know that PRAYER is the first step to victory. thanks for reminding me that the dream will stay alive and thanks for the encouragement. God bless.
Pastor Tony Anderson
Mark,
I love what you wrote about waiting on God. So many times people look at waiting on God as a passive thing but truly waiting on God should simply be a part of pursuing God. As we pursue & cultivate our relationship, God will eventually reveal His plan & purposes.
Very timely Mark. I just read in Wild Goose Chase about how children ask a ton more questions that adults. I think it is easy to get beat down and weary with negative responses in life (especially life in an established church), and you just stop asking questions, or you drift off to a place where you can have impact.
Dan Keiser, Church Architect
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Pastor Mark!
What an encouraging and challenging word! I desperately needed to hear this. I am in the season of trying to figure out what to do with my passion and right now I am seeking God through prayer. Thank you for the blog post and may God continue to use you in great ways!
-Min
Mark,
Thanks so much for sharing the insights you are given with the rest of us! I needed the reminder to not give up on God-given dreams, and to passionately wait on God!
Wow! We have been believing for our property on Lake Michigan near Grand Haven for almost 8 years. Our time is coming. Thank you for allowing Holy Spirit to encourage us in our journey. We will wait passionately!
Hallelujah!
Thanks for the WORD~!! We wait.. with passion for the vision... Oh how many times we have given up... just before striking gold!
Love the word of God that is alive and well and full of such treasure!
I see that there are a few people that are in their Valley of Eshcol. And here I thought you wrote this just for me. ;) I'm headed for D.C. in the fall to begin seminary, and I'm getting to a point where every step is getting more scary, and it could all fall apart any second. Your encouraging words are just what I needed. Thank you!
Awesome Word! a definite reminder that 'waiting upon the Lord' is ALWAYS MORE than worth waiting for! a reminder i know i needed to hear! *thanks*
I have been reading your posts for the past couple of weeks. I found it while browsing for something else. Just wanted to tell you that it is so awesome and inspiring. I strongly believe that God is using you thru your blog posts too... Todays word was timely and encouraging. May God continue to bless you with His amazing wisdom so that it is tranferred to everyone who is reading your posts or hearing you talk.
Mark: not going to say anything new here. Thanks for the post. We rent a facility that is becoming increasingly inadequate but the options are very limited (can you say none?) I reckon we need to find our Valley and do some walking.
Thanks Pastor Mark. I think a lot of people, myself included, needed to hear this.
MARK, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW "TIMELY" THIS POST IS...NO IDEA. GOD SPEAKS AND HE SPEAKS AND HE SPEAKS. THANK YOU BRO!
Just last week I asked my husband, "What is keeping us from entering the promise land? I feel like we keep going around Mt Sinai." BUT, this word is my answer. God is saying for us to wait on Him and NOT give up! We're faced with what sometimes seems like insurmountable financial issues. But God has a plan. Thank you for the encouragement; and we'll be praying!(and I loved your "In a Pit.." book)
Pastor Mark,
thank you for sharing this! definitely what I needed to hear,
I was about to give up on my dream, as I got too scared of too many obstacles on the way.
I so needed your encouragement! I will keep pushing now
that really spoke to my heart...incredible timing for what I am going thru...
Hi Pastor Mark, I'm a regular reader of your evotional.com, My name is Richard,one of the pastors in Victory Christian Fellowship in Manila, Philippines. Honestly, I'm really encouraged with your short messages there. Just want to share to you that I'm inspired with the story your shared in one of your "evotionals" about Mr. Randall of Fusion Warehouse. how for 3 and 1/2 years he prayer-walked the property he so desired daily even though he only had 47 cents to boot.
My wife and I are praying for our own property (house and lot) that we could own here in Manila, Philippines.
If we also look at our bank account, it is just impossible for us to be able to own our property at this point,
Plus we still have to fulfill first some of the financial obligations we had at present.
But, my wife and I are also in faith that God will give us a property of our own, not because we deserve it but because we are His children.
Today, that property is our "mountain" but we are determined and believed that as we speak over this mountain, it will move soon...and we will receive what we asked God in prayer.
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