From Grasshoppers to Promised Land: Building Faith When the Giants Look Too Big

Brothers and sisters, if you’ve ever stood at the edge of something beautiful—a calling, a new assignment, a personal revelation—and suddenly the sheer scale of what’s required makes your knees shake, you know this feeling. It feels like looking across a vast canyon, and all you can see are the sheer, insurmountable walls on the other side. It makes you feel small. Like grasshoppers.

I was recently reflecting on the account of the twelve spies in Numbers. They were at the precipice of the Promised Land, Canaan. God had brought them through the wilderness—a wilderness that, frankly, felt like decades of trial and testing. They had seen the evidence: the land flowing with milk and honey. The promise was tangible, the blessings were clear.

But what happened? Ten of the men brought back a report steeped in fear. They didn't report on the bounty; they reported on the giants, the sons of Anak. They said, “We were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.”

It’s easy, isn't it, to get bogged down in the 'giants'—the perceived insurmountable odds in our own lives, the flaws we see in ourselves, the challenges that feel too big for our current strength. We look at the difficulty, and the fear whispers that we aren't equipped. We forget that we aren't conquering the land for ourselves; we are showing up for the Lord to conquer it for us.

The Power of Remembering: A Divine Strategy for Faith

The lesson here, as the podcast highlighted, is profound: the Israelites didn't need better weaponry or a more detailed battle plan. They needed faith. And the key to unlocking that faith, as the Spirit seems to guide us, is remembering the hand of the Lord.

If the spies had come back with a comprehensive list of everything the Lord *had* done—from the miraculous survival of Moses to the provision in the wilderness—would their report have been the same? I don't know, but I know that the act of consciously recalling past mercies changes the lens through which we view the present difficulty. It shifts our focus from the giant standing before us to the mighty God who has always stood *with* us.

This is where the work of gratitude becomes such a powerful tool in our missionary preparation and discipleship. When I face uncertainty, I try to resist the urge to just list 'nice things.' Instead, I consciously list past instances where the Lord showed up for me, even if the problem wasn't entirely removed. I focus on the *tender mercies*—the quiet moments of sustaining grace.

I testify that recording these miracles, big and small, builds a spiritual muscle. It strengthens our faith, and that faith, in turn, allows the enabling power of the Atonement to step in and get us where we need to go. We are not relying on our own strength; we are relying on the covenants and the grace that flow through Christ.

What is Our Promised Land Today?

When we talk about the Promised Land, we often think of the ultimate eternal destination. And that is true. But the podcast reminds us that so many of the most vital aspects—peace, contentment, joy, healthy relationships—are available to us *right now*, on this side of the veil. The obstacle isn't always a physical giant; sometimes, the obstacle is a quiet settling into 'I can't.' The antidote is always returning to the foundational truth: Trust the Lord.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges in your own life right now, I invite you to lean into this principle. Don't try to map out the entire journey. Just take the next step in faith, knowing that the Lord has already paved the way through His covenants and His Son.

For a deeper dive into this powerful scripture study, I highly recommend listening to the full podcast episode. It really unpacks the timeline and the implications of that report.

If this message resonated with you, I encourage you to share it. And for those of us who are looking to deepen our study together, consider joining a Book Club or Bible Study Group in HolyPlaces. It’s a wonderful way to keep the momentum going between our formal mission discussions.

What miracles are you remembering today? Share your thoughts below, or if you’d like to practice digging into these concepts, check out Davee. He’s ready to walk you through some tough questions an investigator might ask about faith!