Deuteronomy 9:1-3 Hear, Israel: You are now about to cross the Jordan to go in and dispossess nations greater and stronger than you, with large cities that have walls up to the sky. (The Lord calls us into challenges far greater than our own abilities and resources can bring to bear against them.
His plans are beyond our own sight and imagination. What lies before us today may seem insurmountable,
but what the Lord plans, what He sees, falls into His vision for us.) The people are strong and tall—Anakites! You know about them and have heard it said: "Who can stand up against the Anakites?" (The intimidation and fear the Israelites felt as they looked at the people inhabiting the Promised Land were not just from their own foolish imaginings. The Anakite threats were real and fierce. These people were strong and powerful giants. What we may be facing today may, in fact, be an impossible situation, may, in fact, be insurmountable for us who do not have the needed resources to come against such strong forces.) But be assured today that the Lord your God is the One Who goes across ahead of you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them; He will subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them quickly, as the Lord has promised you. (The missing factor, however, of the perceived threat before us
is that the Lord is for us and against the forces against us.
He is the Victor Whom we follow, Who goes before us,
Who exerts His power to defeat what lies before us,
Who grants us victory over the enemy ahead of us. Our God is a consuming fire Who cannot be defeated. Through His divine invitation, the Lord even enjoins us to link hands with Him and enlist as a partner in the battle with Him because He will empower us to gain victory and to destroy what comes against us.)
