My heart really goes out to Moses.

There he stood at the edge of the Promised Land, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land God had specially chosen for His people, begging for God to let him go in. After braving confrontations with Pharoah, leading the Israelites out of Egypt through the parted waters of the Red Sea, and guiding them through the wilderness for 40 long years, didn’t he deserve to reap the benefits?

In Deuteronomy 3:24-25 Moses pleaded, “O Lord God…please let me go over and see the good land beyond the Jordan, that good hill country and Lebanon,”

God’s answer was…no. He sent Moses to the top of Mount Pisgah to view the land, but that was it. “Look at it with your eyes, for you shall not go over this Jordan.” (3:27) None of the people of the rebellious generation would get to see the Promised Land, and that included Moses. 

Apparently there had been several conversations between God and Moses regarding this request, because God said, “Enough from you; do not speak to me of this matter again.” (3:26) His decision was final.

Moses’s dream, what his whole life had been pointing toward, would never be realized. 

I can relate to this, as many of us can. Life takes an unexpected turn, and suddenly a dream is crushed. A knock at the door one cold January night changed our lives forever. Our 21-year-old daughter was gone, and all the hopes and dreams we had for her life were gone along with her. 

How did Moses react to these tragic words from God?  

He was not bitter. He did not complain or rebel. He calmly accepted what God told him to do next. “But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.” (vs 28)

And that is what Moses did. He faithfully turned his leadership over to Joshua, giving him encouragement and blessing. “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give to them.”  (31:7)

Moses had to accept that this mission was not centered on himself and his own satisfaction. He had served a huge purpose and would go down as one of the heroes of the faith. But he had to relinquish his dreams of entering the Promised Land and submit to God’s higher plan.  

Someone once said, “The life you imagined might be gone, but the life you’re building can still be beautiful. Sometimes the most fulfilling chapters are the ones we never saw coming.” 

Sometimes unfulfilled dreams can lead to the greatest blessings. If only, like Moses, we continue to trust and obey.