The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the Lord your God cares for; the eyes of the Lord your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end. I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil.
Reading Deuteronomy 11, we come across a promise that the Lord made to Israel. God’s people were on their way to the Promised Land, and He was meticulously planning every detail. In verses 10 to 12, the Lord assures Israel that He will provide a plentiful and timely supply of water to irrigate the land where He is was taking His people. Anchored to this assurance is a call by God to trust Him. Is there something we can learn from Deuteronomy 11 and apply to our present-day? Yes, there is, let’s take a closer look.
Two countries
Verses 10 and 11, presents in sharp contrast two countries: the land of Egypt, and the Promised Land, which was Israel’s ultimate destination. The people of Israel were very familiar with the land of Egypt. They had resided there for well over four hundred years (Exodus 12:40). Verse 10 describes Egypt as agricultural land, irrigated manually: “you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden” (Deuteronomy 11:10). In Egypt, water was readily available, and all that was needed is a system of irrigation to direct water to the fields.
In contrast, in the Promised Land water was not always to be had. The Promised Land had a weather pattern where crops were sown in the autumn and harvested in spring. In the summer, there was very little or no rain. The rainy season would begin in autumn and then continue through winter and into spring. The autumn rains were crucial because they broke the summer drought and softened the arid land. The spring rains were equally essential to swell the grain that was coming to maturity at harvest. For hundreds of years, Israel was in control of when and how they irrigated the land, but now God was asking them to trust Him and hand control to Him. We too face similar situations in our relationship with the Lord. He wants control over our lives, but we find it challenging to relinquish control, especially when the circumstances under which God wants us to trust Him are daunting and seemingly unrealistic.
Steering wheel or spare tyre?
Put yourself in the shoes of the people Israel. Would you prefer Egypt, a familiar land where water was to be had on-demand and where you can be in control? Or would you prefer the Promised Land, an unfamiliar place where you would have to depend on someone else for water? It is precisely in such challenging decision points that the Lord wants to steer your life, meticulously planning the journey and taking you to a destination of blessings – A land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:17). However, as humans, our natural inclination is to want to control life’s circumstances as much as we can. We value control above all our other capacities. Yes, it is prudent to have a handle on life’s changing circumstances. However, when that is at the cost of demeaning God, it becomes problematic. Our desire for control often leads us to choose “Egypt” over the “Promised Land”. The problem with wanting to stay in control, is that it makes trust in God unpractical and ultimately leads to hardship and a life of trouble and worry.
A land that drinks from heaven
A closer look at Deuteronomy 11 brings to light far more than what initially meets the eye. In Egypt, the land was “irrigated by foot” (Deuteronomy 11:10). The person cultivating the soil had to draw water from the river manually and do so at the appropriate time to ensure the seedlings sprouted when planted and all through the growing season until the time of harvest when the crops needed more moisture to ripen. Irrigation in Egypt involved hard labour. It was Israel’s responsibility to ensure water reached the growing crops. In contrast, in the Promised Land, the rain directly fell on the ground (Deuteronomy 11:12). The Lord promised Israel to send both the autumn and sprint rains in time so that His people will have an abundant harvest: “I will send rain on your land in its season, both autumn and spring rains, so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and olive oil” (Deuteronomy 11:14). Unlike Egypt, if Israel would trust the Lord, the irrigation of the land would not require hard labour. Life would be far easy that what it was in Egypt if Israel was prepared to hand control over to the Lord. We encounter several “Egypts” in life when we choose to remain in charge and control and refuse to hand control to God. These “Egypts” bring unnecessary hardship to our life, and we miss out on the “Promised Land” of blessings.
Give God the control
It is so easy to get in the mindset that we can “take the wheel” from the Lord. Our craving for control becomes our steering wheel instead of the Lord. We often boss Him around and expect Him to do things our way because of our desire for full control. It is hard not to want to stay in control, giving God control is not easy. However, the Lord has our best interest in mind, and He knows what we need much better than we do.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
The wise king Solomon counselled that we must trust the Lord with all our heart and not depend on our limited understanding. He urged us to submit everything, yes everything to God’s control (Proverbs 3:5-6). God’s plan is far better than any plan we make because God knows what He is doing. He sees the big picture, something we will never be able to do with our limited understanding of life’s present circumstances. Take to him in earnest prayer every challenging decision. Put him in charge. Tell Him what you want (in prayer) but leave it to Him to make the choice for you. Meditate on God’s word, with a sincere heart (Hebrews 10:22) and a listening ear (Mark 8:18). You will then learn to hear His voice. With His wisdom steering your life, you will find peace and clarity on God’s plan for every circumstance of your life. There is always a blessing at the other end of giving God the control and letting Him steer your life. Are you willing to trust God, and let Him be the steering wheel? Or will your desire for control only use Him when things go wrong, like a spare tyre?
PS: I have adapted Corrie Ten Boom’s quote ““Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?”” in the section above