Little By Little

Imagine that you are ready to go forward and fulfill a promise of God to you.

Israel was poised to take the land God had promised them. What an exciting and exhilarating time in God’s chosen people’s history! Deliverance from Egyptian bondage was behind them. Freedom in a land flowing with milk and honey awaited them.

As the people readied themselves to cross the Jordan River and conquer Canaan, God spoke through Moses, telling them to take the land “little by little.”
“And the Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little: you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.” Deuteronomy 7:22
Please note “the Lord will clear away the nations before you.” What a confidence boosting word of encouragement! God Himself would clear the way for His people! He would go ahead of them to clear the path to security and prosperity.
How would the Lord do it? “Little by little.”  Surely, Almighty God could have cleared the land with one fell swoop of His powerful hand. Instead, the land would not be occupied quickly, but slowly, “little by little.” Israel would fight thirty-nine major battles before securing the Promised Land.

God was giving His people a heads up in our verse. Taking the Promised Land would be a process of taking the land a step at a time.

If they conquered the land too quickly, they would be overwhelmed by the numerous beasts in the land. In other words, taking the land without securing every place their foot stepped on would create security issues for them.

The principle here is this: Moving forward to fulfill God’s promises is a “little by little” process. Step by step, not leap by leap, is how we secure God’s plan for our lives. “Little by little” is the right way because it is God’s way.

I want to shift gears for a moment and apply “little by little” to the healing and restoration process in the lives of hurting people. Often emotionally wounded people who come for major restoration and rebuilding of their lives expect to be better in a short period of time. It is as if they expect God and me as a pastoral counselor to say “Presto, you are completely healed and ready to begin again.”

As humans, we want to leap out of our troubles and leave our heartaches behind. We desire to dump our pain as soon as possible and move on to greener pastures.

The problem is: life does not work that way. Natural, physical wounds heal “little by little.” Wounds heal from the inside out. Some of the healing that goes on within a wound is not even seen at first. But healing is taking place if the patient does what the physician instructs them to do.
Your and my problem with” little by little” is that we want everything right now.

We are impatient people! You and I would love to bypass God’s processes for doing things right in our lives. Quick fixes are desirable but not scriptural. Miracles are real and can manifest instantaneously. God can and does change people and situations on the spot. But most spiritual and emotional healing miracles require a process. That process demands step by step healing and restoration.
Restoration principle: Because we lost ground little by little, we must gain ground little by little. Little by little, people get into trouble. So little by little, they can get out of trouble.

Robert Schuler has said “Inch by inch anything is a cinch. Yard by yard, everything is hard.” Have you found that to be true in your life? I have. When I try to take life yard by yard, it is hard. Extremely difficult. Mile by mile does not make me smile! But inch by sometimes every painful inch, life really is a cinch. I am learning that “little by little” is God’s way of lovingly watching out for me and my self-sabotaging tendency to be impatient with His process in my life.
Healing, restoration and renewal of our lives and relationships is not a leaping process. It is a stepping process. Restoration is a process of regaining lost ground and taking new ground little by little.
Some Reasons Why “Little By Little” Will Work

• We can be easily overwhelmed by big steps.    
• We can manage one step at a time.
• We can plan one step at a time.
• We can secure resources for one step at a time.
• We need to make each and every step is sure and secure.
• We can build the next step on the last step.
• We can be assured that God will be with us each “little by little” step of the way.
• We can inspire others who watch how we manage “little by little” in our lives.

How about you? Are you hurting in some way and seeking God’s healing?
Be encouraged that God promises to heal and restore you. Jeremiah 17:30 declares “For I will restore you to health and heal you of your wounds” says the Lord.” God’s healing and restoration awaits you. It is just a first step away. A first step of surrender of your pain and of personal trust in Him to heal your heart and spirit.

Then a second step as God directs. And a third one. Step by gracious step. “Little by little” God will perform a healing miracle in your life.
So, what are you waiting for?
God’s promises are real. Little by little He will restore and heal. Go ahead. Push through your pain.

Take a small step of faith today. Cast your cares upon the Lord. A little baby step towards the Lord will do. Then just relax. Rest in the Lord. He will go ahead of you and clear the obstacles and enemies in your path. God will be faithful to fulfill His promise to you.

“Little by little” you and the Lord can accomplish a lot!!!  
    
“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in the way he takes.”                                             Psalm 37:23 ​

A Word For Your Week: A little step forward is a large step in the right direction.