There is a proverb, ‘It is better to journey than to arrive,’ but it’s pretty upsetting travelling but never getting there. I had a friend who took his driving test 19 times and never passed it. To this day he is a non-driver with all the inconvenience it causes . He’s also spent a lot of money but never achieved his goal. That’s rather frustrating!
I think of the Israelites travelling for 40 years. During that time babies would have been born, old people would have died. They had a period of great thirst and a time of hunger. The sun was beating down on them by day and at night it was bitterly cold. There were mountains they had to climb carrying their babies and possessions. Toddlers would have been doing what they do best, toddling into dangerous places. It all sounds like a nightmare and then they never got to the Promised Land. They never achieved their objective even after 40 years of journeying.
Disobedience was the root of their trouble. The Israelites repeatedly disobeyed God. Are we in danger of making the same mistake and in danger of missing out on our Promised Land? Are we going to face the trials and tribulations of this life and not arrive at our heaven?