We all dream about the things we want to do.  Sometimes there are things we want to do for the Kingdom of God.  Opportunities we would like to have or ministries we would like to be a part of.  In the past few months I have been asked to help out with a ministry endeavor.  I really, really, really wanted to do both.  Both were needed and both went along with my heart beat.  Surely the Lord would allow me to serve Him in this way.  After all, He is looking for workers right?

As I was contemplating these things I ran across this passage in Deuteronomy 3 where Moses asks the Lord to let him go into the promised land and the Lord refuses.  Take a look:

23At that time I pleaded with the Lord: 24“Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness and your strong hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do the deeds and mighty works you do? 25Let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan—that fine hill country and Lebanon.”

26But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me. “That is enough,” the Lord said. “Do not speak to me anymore about this matter.….Look at the land with your own eyes, since you are not going to cross this Jordan. 28But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.”

Now granted, if we look back in Numbers we see that Moses had sinned and that’s why he couldn’t enter the promised land, but I was so struck by this passage.  Sometimes the Lord begins to reveal his greatness in such a way that we just want to be a part of what’s going on………..but then sometimes our job, like Moses, isn’t to go the next step, but it’s to strengthen the person who gets the job.  Like Moses was told to do for Joshua.

Maybe there’s some job you want (for your family, for God, for your church, etc) but it’s fallen to someone else to do.  Perhaps your task now is to strengthen the person who got the job.  Uphold them in prayer.  Be an encouragement.  Don’t let bitterness or disappointment creep into your heart and keep you from seeing clearly.  Our main job is to be faithful in what God has asked US to do.