In the Bible, the Lord made a great promise to the children of Israel. He vowed to take them out of their bondage in Egypt and carry them to Canaan. Canaan, the Israelites’ Promised Land, was a good land (Deuteronomy 8:7) filled with abundant food and minerals. It was a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:17); a place of wealth, prosperity and peace.
Just as the Lord promised to take the Israelites out of bondage into freedom, He promises us the same. All of us have our own Canaans, our own Promised Lands to look forward to. Although the journey there may be a long and filled with trials, there is no doubt that if you cling to the Lord, you will get there. So it is not a question of if you will get there but what you will do once you have got what the Lord has promised. What will you do when you get to the Promised Land?
What Do You Do When You Get to the Promised Land?
Often we hear of what we need to do on the journey to Canaan. How we must persevere and stay steadfast and keep praying. But what happens once you have got to the Promised Land? What do you do once God has moved you from that small apartment to the big house? When He has given you healing after years of sickness or prosperity after a long time of lack?
So often we are so focused on getting to the destination, that we don’t stop and think what we will do once we are there.
It is easy to cling to the Lord when things are tough but when things are easier, sometimes we tend to forget that we need Him. We forget that it is because of Him that we have made it so far. So if we do not prepare what our response will be when we get to the Promised Land, we might make the mistake of forgetting God.
So the question is what does one do to prevent that from happening? The answer is found in Deuteronomy 8:10 (NKJV) which says
When you have eaten and are full, then you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.
Bless the Lord
The first thing you must do when you reach your promised land is to bless the Lord. To bless the Lord means to give Him thanks. Thank Him for fulfilling His promise to you. Thank Him for His faithfulness and His goodness towards you. Thank Him for doing what He said He would do.
It can be easier to thank God on the journey, when He is parting the Red Seas and showing you signs and wonders. Praise can come more easily when you can see your enemies falling around you. But when you settle into peace, complacency can creep in and you can forget to give thanks to the One who gave you that peace. But it should not be like that.
God deserves our gratitude no matter where we are; on the mountain or in the valley, in the wilderness or in the Promised Land.
It is also important to thank the Lord because ingratitude can hinder your blessings. If you refuse to acknowledge God’s goodness in your life, you will begin to see less of it. God will not bless you more if you are not faithful with the least He gives you. (Luke 16:10)
Furthermore, the more you let ingratitude and comfort cloud your view of God, the more you will begin to fall away from Him and into old habits that could lead you back to Egypt and into bondage.
So, it is important to bless the Lord once you have reached your Promised Land. But that is not all you are to do.
Keep God’s Commandments
Once you have reached your Promised Land, not only should you bless the Lord, but you should keep His commandments.
Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today.
– (Deuteronomy 8:11 (NKJV))
For us new Covenant believers keeping God’s commandments means walking in and being led by the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:4) and walking in the truth and light of God’s Word. When you do this, you automatically fulfil God’s commandments and live as He calls us to.
Keeping God’s commandments will also keep you in His love. (1 John 2:3-5) It is only when God’s love is perfected in you that you can successfully do all God asks and calls you to do and so live in a way that please Him.
Remember the Lord
The third thing you must do once you have reached your Promised Land is to simply remember the Lord.
“And you shall remember the Lord your God…”
-(Deuteronomy 8:18 (NKJV))
To remember the Lord you must actively recall all that He has done for you. Remember how He carried you through your time of hardship. Look back on all the ways in which He proved Himself faithful to you. Don’t forget how He encouraged you and sustained you in the wilderness.
Remembering the Lord will remind you why you need Him. It will remind you that at the end of the day it is God who lead and protected you. It is God who loved and guided you, and at the end of the day, it is Him who deserves all the glory.
So when you get to your Promised Land remember the Lord, bless Him and keep His ways. Don’t let go of Him and let His love fill you continually. When you do this you will move farther from the place of defeat and failure, and God will continue to take you to better places.
