Invisible but faithful...

          ​As I prepared for this post, I revisited the story of the children of Israel during their sojourn in the wilderness forty years. My focus was Caleb one of the few who made it into the land of Canaan. I use the word “made it” because that is exactly what happened. It would have been nice to say that all the Israelites who left Egypt made it to the Promised Land but that was sadly not the case. Consistent sin and rebellion against the Lord during their wilderness experience caused many to fall along the way and to therefore miss the opportunity to enter the Promised Land.
         But this is where it gets interesting. Caleb had been one of the twelve spies sent into Canaan to spy out the land. He and Joshua, Moses’ assistant, were the only ones who returned with a good report and who gave the go ahead to enter Canaan. The other ten spies said no (Numbers 13:31-33). They had all witnessed the giants living in the land and their fortified cities yet, only Joshua and Caleb focused on the greatness of their God instead of on the size of the people of the land (Numbers 14:6-9). In fact, when the story was recounted some time later, Caleb was described as the one who “wholly followed the Lord.” He was not prominent like Joshua, but God took note of his faithfulness and obedience to Him. He secretly followed after the Lord with his whole heart. He was virtually invisible for forty years and when we do see him, his faith in His God causes him to stand out. In fact, because of his trust in God when others were trusting in their own abilities, God specifically promised him an inheritance in the Promised Land (Numbers 14:24). He chose to publicly put His confidence in God by telling the people that yes, there were giants in the land but that their God would take care of them. The other ten spies disagreed. That was ten against two! But Caleb knew His God and what He was capable of, so he did not allow other people’s opinion to sway him. And he was rewarded for it. While God destroyed the other ten spies for not putting their confidence in Him, when the people entered the Promised Land, Caleb, along with Joshua, also received what God had promised (Deuteronomy 1:35-36). Furthermore, the land God had promised him because of his faithfulness, was given to him and his descendants, when Joshua was dividing the land among the people. His faithfulness was rewarded. God had not forgotten Him (Numbers 14:24; Joshua 14: 6-14).
         We too will be rewarded for our faithfulness to our God. It’s not always easy. Being faithful to God sometimes means being different, standing out. Sometimes, it means being invisible; it means serving God when no one is looking; being faithful to Him when no one cares. But God cares, He sees and He knows your heart. He sees your sacrifices when no one else does; He sees your heart behind your efforts when no one else does; He sees your motive and the intents of your heart when no one else does. Remember, Caleb was invisible for many years but he was faithfully serving God with his whole heart. And when the time came, God chose him to be one of those to spy out the land of Canaan because God knew his heart and the kind of report he would bring back to the people. God knew he would bring a report that would honour God. 
            God knows you, He knows what is in you and that will qualify you to go places for God that no one else will go, do things for God that no one else will do, because God knows your heart. So be encouraged, you may be invisible to others but never to God. What He knows about you will qualify you for blessings and opportunities beyond what you can dream or imagine. Sometimes, though, it takes patience. But just keep doing what you are doing for God . . . faithfully . . .  consistently, even when no one sees or cares and when the time is right, whatever God has for you cannot help but come directly to you.   

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