ALMOST TO THE PROMISED LAND Deuteronomy 34:1-12 First ...

4We have dreams for our spiritual lives. At one time we dreamed about being close to God,having an enlivening relationship with God. We dreamed of being part of a church thatwas vital, caring, dynamic, compassionate. There are times when our dreams come true.But there are also times when they do not. We’re almost to the promised land, but notquite.We have dreams about the church, about our children, about our parents, about the worldwe live in. Sometimes we achieve our dreams, sometimes we don’t.There are, of course, good things about dreaming. Those who dream see potential andwhen we see potential we can often move forward to make necessary changes. Those whodream have hope which is in such short supply nowadays. Those who dream can visualizea healthy relationship. They can see a vital relationship with God. They can look ahead andsee a healthy church. They can envision a time when races and nations will get along. Theworld is a better place because we dream and hope and look to the future.In fact, the Israelites are probably on the edge of the promised land because of Moses’vision, his dreams, his hopes inspired by God. If not for him, the Israelites might still bepartying around the golden calf. Dreaming about the possibilities is a great good.But this story in Deuteronomy has a deep truth that all of us who dream about anything inlife also need to hear- life always has an unfinished, imperfect quality to it. Life always hasdisappointments.In the final speech of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. made a haunting allusion to this storyin Deuteronomy 34. He said: “I have been to the mountaintop. God’s allowed me to go upto the mountain, and I’ve looked over, and I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get therewith you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people will get to the promisedland. And so I am happy tonight…Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of theLord.” After that speech King returned to his motel room, was hit by an assassin’s bullet,and died that night (Quoted in Yancey’s The Bible Jesus Read p. 99). Life is full ofimperfections, incompletions, and disappointments.How we face those disappointments is critical for our lives. There are many ways we canface disappointment in life. We can be angry. We can be sad. We can work harder forchange. We can grow disillusioned. We can become bitter over time. We can becomecynical. We can also pray, reflect on God’s purposes, and grow in our acceptance of newrealities.