Dear Church Family,

It’s hard when God withholds or delays something good. We often wrestle with why He would do so, especially when we can only see good coming from Him giving it to us right now. In Exodus 23 God foretells of the conquest of the Promised Land. In fact, He promises to send an angel before the people to guard and lead them and deliver the peoples’ into their hands. He promised victory if they would obey His voice. It would be easy to envision a swift and easy conquest with God on their side. But God tells Moses it will be the opposite, little by little. 

Exodus 23:29-30 (ESV):
I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you.  Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.

Instead of giving them the land all at once, God promises to do it little by little. The interesting thing is, it is actually for their own good that He does it slowly. They weren’t ready for the whole land and God wanted to prevent the damaging effects of giving them the whole land too quickly.
Sometimes it’s hard to trust God, but it’s important to remember that God is on our side and has good reasons for why He slows things down or even says, “no.” The next time you’re struggling with the way God is answering, it may be God’s grace and mercy. Trust that He is a father who wants the best for you, as His child.

Matthew 7:9–11 (ESV) 
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!