Today is April 17.
 
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.  
 
Take a moment and quiet yourself. Take a deep breath. Welcome God’s presence. And say, “Come Holy Spirit.”   
  
Today’s reading is from the Book Numbers chapter 13.   
 

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” 
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size.  
 

Moses sent out spies to explore the Promised Land. God had delivered the Israelites from Egypt, had led them by a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night. He miraculously fed them with manna from heaven and gave them water in the desert. And God had promised to take them into the Promised Land. God wants them to see the future in store for them. But more than that, he is inviting them to see the future with eyes of faith. But they didn’t see their future with eyes of faith—they saw obstacles, they saw enemies, they saw giants.  
 
When you look into your own future, what do you see? Most of us, like the Israelite spies, see both challenges and possibilities. But God wants us to see more than that. God wants us to see him. He is there in your future. He has been with you the whole journey, and he is waiting for you up ahead, ready to accompany you into the next promise. As you hear the passage again, imagine God waiting for you up ahead.  
  
Think about the day or the week ahead. There will naturally be challenges and possibilities. But more importantly, God will also be there. And he will be there to strengthen you, to bless you, and to empower you. As you face a challenge or a test today, say to the Lord, “You are here with me.”  
  
Lord God, Almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do, direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   
 
Music: "The Moments" - Vineyard Worship - (YouTube)