Joshua 14:10-11 “…And now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. I am still as strong today as I was in the day that Moses sent me; my strength now is as my strength was then, for war and for going and coming.”
With the Olympics beginning this week, records will be set and many will find “Hall of Fame” status. But there’s another kind of “Hall of Fame” I’m thinking about. The “Faithfulness Hall of Fame” and if anyone deserves to be in it, Caleb should be among those at the top of the list.
Moses sent Caleb and Joshua, along with ten other spies, to explore the Promised Land. When the ten reported the presence of giants, and discouraged Israel from going forward, Caleb tried to reassure them. They could defeat the giants because God would be with them just as he promised. But the opposition only grew stronger, to the point they wanted to stone him!
So Israel’s rebellion prevented them from entering the Promised Land. They all died in the desert for their unfaithfulness. Except for Caleb and Joshua. “But my servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit and has followed me fully, I will bring into the land into which he went, and his descendants shall possess it” (Numb 14:24).
Then at the age of 85, Caleb received his inheritance in Canaan. God faithfully fulfilled his promise to his faithful servant. And get this. Caleb was as strong at 85 as he was at 40! He was ready to take on the remaining giants who occupied his territory!
Do you know God will always be faithful to those who remain faithful to him? (Psalm 18:2). One of my friends recently underwent major surgery. The doctors said the possibility of cancer was 50-50. As I prayed for my friend, I remembered that scripture. I thought of the many difficulties my friend has faced in life, and how she’s stood faithful to God time after time. I knew God was speaking to me, reassuring me she would be ok. And, turns out, she is cancer-free.
I pray you remember God’s faithfulness when you or a loved one face discouraging times. When everything and everyone around you says to forget God, remember Caleb. Remember God’s promises. And stand on God’s faithfulness.
God wants to add your name to the “Faithfulness Hall of Fame.”