Two friends of mine have just moved house. In both cases they were difficult moves taking a few months. It made me think about the Israelites who took forty years to move. They knew the place they were moving from (Egypt) and the place they were going to (The Promised Land). I sure there were times with my friends when they thought they would never make it. In the event only two of the Israelites made it.
This week it is 15 years since I moved. In spite of the difficulties for me, God was with me all the way. Forty years is a very long time with all the difficulties and dangers they faced. All they had to do was be obedient to God (which they were some of the time)
It’s a bit like our journey to heaven. We know where we are and we know where we’re going. In most cases our journeys will be longer than 40 years, maybe twice that time. Unlike the Israelites we need to make sure we get there.