I recently finished reading The Land Between by Jeff Manion. A more timely read I could not find as I go through my own personal time in The Land Between.
Through looking at the Israelites time in the wilderness, Jeff challenges his reader to apply the principles to their own life. He warns of the tendency for the reader to assume that they would not fall into the same patterns of behavior that the Israelites found themselves in. It is a good warning, for we tend to view ourselves as the hero in the story.
The Land Between is not the only one of transition, it is any time of hardship and trial. Through many examples, both personal and anecdotal, Jeff makes real the points he drives home.
The Land Between is a place that is ripe for complaint. The Israelites were grumblers… it was a habit, not the exception. In contrast, Moses went to God with his frustration and vented. The Land Between is a place where we can learn to cry out to God in unabashed honesty and without fear of becoming the recipients of God’s wrath as long as we do not allow the habit of grumbling. We must continue to see God’s provision and ensure that we do not take it for granted.
There were many passages that spoke to my heart and challenged my thinking. One such quote:
Trouble and trust coexist in the hearts of the people we meet in the Bible—David, Jeremiah, and others—even as they coexist in our own hearts.
Some have taught that faith and fear cannot co-exist. That may be true, but often it is presented that faith and a troubled heart cannot co-exist. That is not true.
This is a great book. If you are going through a season of trial, a time where God’s path is leading uphill and you are experiencing frustration with the circumstances of life. This book will be a great tool that God can use to help you look at yourself honestly and identify what God may be work doing in your life.
The Land Between is first and foremost, a time of spiritual transformation, not a time of judgment.
