August 28th, 2023
Written by Tabitha White
A few weeks ago, Jason and I went on a trip for our twentieth anniversary. It was a week of relaxing that I had looked forward to for at least a year. As a big kid at heart, one of the things that I was most excited about was going snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean! I love sea turtles, and I kept telling Jason that I really hoped we would be able to see at least one. Again, I’m like a big kid when it comes to things like this, so he would laugh every time I mentioned it.
As soon as we jumped in the water and put our masks on, our guide pointed out a huge sea turtle beneath us. My day was made! We continued with the tour and were surprised to find out that we would be snorkeling over two different shipwrecks. Through the clear blue water, we were able to see ships that look to be frozen in time! It was an experience that I will always remember–especially since God used that moment to start talking to me!
You see, we weren’t looking at shipwrecks in the middle of the ocean. We were only about 150 yards off the coast of the island! These ships had traveled long distances and had crashed about 150 yards from their destination. Can you even imagine how they felt? They were so close! They could see their destination, but for one reason or another, their boat didn’t make it to shore.
This immediately pricked my heart! How often are we so close to a breakthrough from Christ, and we get off course? We set a goal of reading our Bible every single day and get sidetracked by life on day three. We promise God that we will spend quiet time praying on the way to work each day, and then our mind starts spinning with our endless to-do list. We make the promise to put aside social media for intentional time with Christ, and then we end up down a rabbit trail of mindless scrolling.
This isn’t a new problem though. Let’s look at one of the saddest verses throughout the record of Moses’ life. Deuteronomy 34:4 says, “‘Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”’” At this point in Moses’ life, he had been leading the Israelites for the last forty years. He had seen God work miracles that we have only read about in Scripture, but due to his disobedience, Moses wasn’t going to be allowed to go into the Promised Land. Right before his eyes, Moses saw the Promised Land, but he would never set foot in the land that he had dreamed about for years. Can you imagine what he was feeling? I can only imagine that, while he felt blessed to see the Promised Land, he also felt regret over his disobedience.
So, how does that apply to us? And what does it have to do with shipwrecks? Those are both fair questions. We all have dreams that God has placed in our lives; like Moses’ dream of seeing the Promised Land, like the crews of the wrecked ships dreamed of reaching their destination, whether it was for a better life or exploring a new island. God has promised each of us that He has a plan for us, but we have a part to play in that plan. Every day, we make choices that either bring us closer to Christ or cause us to take steps backward. We can’t sit idly by and just hope that our God-given dreams will be realized. We have to obediently follow Him and trust Him daily. We must be dedicated to Him and seek after His heart!
Don’t be like Moses or these ships’ crews and stop so close to your breakthrough! Keep pressing into God and all that He has for you!
As Paul encouraged us in Philippians 3:14, ”I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” Keep pressing on, friend! Your breakthrough may be as close as your very next prayer!
A few weeks ago, Jason and I went on a trip for our twentieth anniversary. It was a week of relaxing that I had looked forward to for at least a year. As a big kid at heart, one of the things that I was most excited about was going snorkeling in the Atlantic Ocean! I love sea turtles, and I kept telling Jason that I really hoped we would be able to see at least one. Again, I’m like a big kid when it comes to things like this, so he would laugh every time I mentioned it.
As soon as we jumped in the water and put our masks on, our guide pointed out a huge sea turtle beneath us. My day was made! We continued with the tour and were surprised to find out that we would be snorkeling over two different shipwrecks. Through the clear blue water, we were able to see ships that look to be frozen in time! It was an experience that I will always remember–especially since God used that moment to start talking to me!
You see, we weren’t looking at shipwrecks in the middle of the ocean. We were only about 150 yards off the coast of the island! These ships had traveled long distances and had crashed about 150 yards from their destination. Can you even imagine how they felt? They were so close! They could see their destination, but for one reason or another, their boat didn’t make it to shore.
This immediately pricked my heart! How often are we so close to a breakthrough from Christ, and we get off course? We set a goal of reading our Bible every single day and get sidetracked by life on day three. We promise God that we will spend quiet time praying on the way to work each day, and then our mind starts spinning with our endless to-do list. We make the promise to put aside social media for intentional time with Christ, and then we end up down a rabbit trail of mindless scrolling.
This isn’t a new problem though. Let’s look at one of the saddest verses throughout the record of Moses’ life. Deuteronomy 34:4 says, “‘Then the LORD said to Moses, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have now allowed you to see it with your own eyes, but you will not enter the land.”’” At this point in Moses’ life, he had been leading the Israelites for the last forty years. He had seen God work miracles that we have only read about in Scripture, but due to his disobedience, Moses wasn’t going to be allowed to go into the Promised Land. Right before his eyes, Moses saw the Promised Land, but he would never set foot in the land that he had dreamed about for years. Can you imagine what he was feeling? I can only imagine that, while he felt blessed to see the Promised Land, he also felt regret over his disobedience.
So, how does that apply to us? And what does it have to do with shipwrecks? Those are both fair questions. We all have dreams that God has placed in our lives; like Moses’ dream of seeing the Promised Land, like the crews of the wrecked ships dreamed of reaching their destination, whether it was for a better life or exploring a new island. God has promised each of us that He has a plan for us, but we have a part to play in that plan. Every day, we make choices that either bring us closer to Christ or cause us to take steps backward. We can’t sit idly by and just hope that our God-given dreams will be realized. We have to obediently follow Him and trust Him daily. We must be dedicated to Him and seek after His heart!
Don’t be like Moses or these ships’ crews and stop so close to your breakthrough! Keep pressing into God and all that He has for you!
As Paul encouraged us in Philippians 3:14, ”I press on toward the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly calling in Christ Jesus.” Keep pressing on, friend! Your breakthrough may be as close as your very next prayer!
4 Comments
Thank you Pastor Tabitha for great encouragement
Very encouraging message, I loved it! Thanks for being obedient in writing down what God gave you and sharing it, it helped me.sometimes we all get weary from the struggles of life, at these moments I'm thankful for people like you, love you little sis♥ï¸
Love this Tabitha
What a wonderful word of encouragement. Thank you