WEBVTT - Milk and Honey

0:00:34.876 --> 0:00:39.556
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Abides Sleep Meditations. I'm Tyler Boss. Today's meditation

0:00:39.676 --> 0:00:42.436
<v Speaker 1>is brought to you by our partners at Life Audio.

0:00:42.676 --> 0:00:45.156
<v Speaker 1>If you go to lifeaudio dot com you will find

0:00:45.236 --> 0:00:48.356
<v Speaker 1>dozens of other faith centered podcasts in their network. They've

0:00:48.396 --> 0:00:52.076
<v Speaker 1>got shows about prayer, Bible study, parenting, and more. Head

0:00:52.076 --> 0:00:53.916
<v Speaker 1>over to lifeaudio dot com.

0:00:53.956 --> 0:00:54.236
<v Speaker 2>Now.

0:00:54.556 --> 0:00:55.556
<v Speaker 1>Remember you can.

0:00:55.436 --> 0:00:58.596
<v Speaker 3>Have full access to all our sleep stories commercial free.

0:00:58.756 --> 0:01:01.676
<v Speaker 3>Just text Abide to two two four three three for

0:01:01.756 --> 0:01:05.596
<v Speaker 3>twenty five percent off the app. Now relax your mind

0:01:05.876 --> 0:01:09.236
<v Speaker 3>and body as we hear tonight's sleep story.

0:01:12.556 --> 0:01:18.836
<v Speaker 2>Hello and welcome to the sleep story from Abide. I'm Chloe.

0:01:19.836 --> 0:01:23.916
<v Speaker 2>Thank you for joining me for our story Milk and Honey.

0:01:26.636 --> 0:01:30.556
<v Speaker 2>As you settle under your covers, let my voice guide

0:01:30.636 --> 0:01:35.676
<v Speaker 2>you through a story sit between rolling hells and surround

0:01:35.716 --> 0:01:39.796
<v Speaker 2>it by lush greenery in the small village of Hebron.

0:01:41.796 --> 0:01:44.716
<v Speaker 2>It takes place in the days of the Old Testament,

0:01:45.836 --> 0:01:52.916
<v Speaker 2>a time of great trials and divine promises. As you

0:01:53.036 --> 0:01:56.676
<v Speaker 2>settle down to sleep, we will journey back to a

0:01:56.836 --> 0:02:01.476
<v Speaker 2>pivotal moment in the history of the Israelites, a moment

0:02:01.596 --> 0:02:09.356
<v Speaker 2>of faith, trust, and divine assurance. Inspired by numbers fourteen

0:02:09.756 --> 0:02:15.236
<v Speaker 2>verse eight, which reads, if the Lord delights in us,

0:02:15.996 --> 0:02:19.796
<v Speaker 2>he will bring us into this land and give it

0:02:19.836 --> 0:02:25.196
<v Speaker 2>to us, a land that flows with milk and honey.

0:02:28.676 --> 0:02:32.756
<v Speaker 2>This sleep story will soothe your spirit and guide you

0:02:32.876 --> 0:02:38.716
<v Speaker 2>into a peaceful slumber, reminding you of God's unwavering love

0:02:39.356 --> 0:02:47.516
<v Speaker 2>and unfaltering promises. Let the delight of the Lord permeate

0:02:47.556 --> 0:02:53.276
<v Speaker 2>your being with his extravagant love and affection. He is

0:02:53.476 --> 0:02:56.916
<v Speaker 2>so proud of you. No matter what you think you've

0:02:57.036 --> 0:03:01.796
<v Speaker 2>done wrong this day, or this week or in your lifetime,

0:03:03.396 --> 0:03:08.716
<v Speaker 2>His love washes over you and covers you in forgiveness.

0:03:10.036 --> 0:03:15.156
<v Speaker 2>His promises of goodness and grace are not dependent on

0:03:15.276 --> 0:03:22.876
<v Speaker 2>your good behavior. As we will hear, his favor is

0:03:23.036 --> 0:03:27.436
<v Speaker 2>sure and certain. Even when his children falter in their

0:03:27.476 --> 0:03:34.916
<v Speaker 2>belief in him, He is faithful when we are faithless.

0:03:37.276 --> 0:03:42.796
<v Speaker 2>Numbers twenty three, Verse nineteen tells us God is not

0:03:43.076 --> 0:03:46.956
<v Speaker 2>man that he should lie, or a son of man

0:03:47.316 --> 0:03:51.996
<v Speaker 2>that he should change his mind? Has he said and

0:03:52.156 --> 0:03:56.076
<v Speaker 2>will he not do it? Or has he spoken and

0:03:56.156 --> 0:04:02.276
<v Speaker 2>will he not fulfill it? So, precious one, as I

0:04:02.436 --> 0:04:06.796
<v Speaker 2>lead you through this story, may your heavenly Father lead

0:04:06.836 --> 0:04:12.676
<v Speaker 2>you into his land of promise, a place flowing with

0:04:12.956 --> 0:04:19.396
<v Speaker 2>milk and honey. Join me as we step back in

0:04:19.476 --> 0:04:25.196
<v Speaker 2>time a few thousand years, in the time of numbers fourteen.

0:04:26.996 --> 0:04:30.956
<v Speaker 2>If the Lord delights in us, he will bring us

0:04:31.156 --> 0:04:35.916
<v Speaker 2>into this land and give it to us, a land

0:04:36.036 --> 0:04:41.276
<v Speaker 2>that flows with milk and honey. When we come upon

0:04:41.316 --> 0:04:45.276
<v Speaker 2>the Israelites, they have been on a long and arduous

0:04:45.356 --> 0:04:49.956
<v Speaker 2>journey from the moment they were freed from the bondage

0:04:49.956 --> 0:04:55.836
<v Speaker 2>of Egypt. They had traversed the vast and unforgiving wilderness.

0:04:57.156 --> 0:05:04.036
<v Speaker 2>Led by Moses. They witnessed miraculous events, the great parting

0:05:04.156 --> 0:05:10.476
<v Speaker 2>of the sea, manner falling from heaven, and water flowing

0:05:10.516 --> 0:05:16.876
<v Speaker 2>from a rock. Yet the promised land, a land flowing

0:05:16.956 --> 0:05:21.756
<v Speaker 2>with milk and honey, remained just a vision on the horizon.

0:05:25.196 --> 0:05:31.076
<v Speaker 2>One cool evening, the Israelites set up camp at Kadesh Bania,

0:05:32.036 --> 0:05:36.916
<v Speaker 2>a place of decision and destiny situated on the southern

0:05:36.956 --> 0:05:45.076
<v Speaker 2>border of Canaan. The air was cool and crisp, The

0:05:45.116 --> 0:05:51.156
<v Speaker 2>stars shone brightly, and a gentle breeze rustled through the trees.

0:05:52.796 --> 0:05:57.756
<v Speaker 2>The people gathered around their fires, sharing stories of their

0:05:57.836 --> 0:06:03.036
<v Speaker 2>journey and dreams of the land that awaited them, the

0:06:03.156 --> 0:06:07.276
<v Speaker 2>land that the Lord, their God had promised them and

0:06:07.356 --> 0:06:16.716
<v Speaker 2>their ancestors for generations. Moses, the great leader and humble

0:06:16.876 --> 0:06:21.676
<v Speaker 2>servant of the Lord, sat with his brother Aaron and Joshua,

0:06:22.636 --> 0:06:30.156
<v Speaker 2>a young but brave warrior. These three honorable men discussed

0:06:30.196 --> 0:06:35.396
<v Speaker 2>the Lord's promises and the faith required to reach their destination.

0:06:37.356 --> 0:06:43.716
<v Speaker 2>Joshua's eyes gleamed with hope and determination as he recalled

0:06:43.796 --> 0:06:50.676
<v Speaker 2>the words of God. To prepare for their entry into

0:06:50.716 --> 0:06:57.556
<v Speaker 2>the promised land, Moses selected twelve men, one from each tribe,

0:06:58.156 --> 0:07:03.196
<v Speaker 2>to spy on the land of Canaan. Among them were

0:07:03.276 --> 0:07:08.996
<v Speaker 2>Caleb from the tribe of Judah, and Joshua from the

0:07:09.076 --> 0:07:16.956
<v Speaker 2>tribe of Ephram. These men were hand picked for their wisdom, courage,

0:07:16.996 --> 0:07:25.396
<v Speaker 2>and faithfulness. For forty days, the spies journeyed through Canaan,

0:07:26.196 --> 0:07:35.156
<v Speaker 2>observing its beauty and abundance. They saw vineyards laiden with grain, apes,

0:07:36.036 --> 0:07:41.716
<v Speaker 2>fields of golden grain, and hillsides dotted with olive trees.

0:07:43.356 --> 0:07:48.996
<v Speaker 2>They enjoyed first hand the visceral experience that the land

0:07:49.436 --> 0:07:54.076
<v Speaker 2>was indeed flowing with milk and honey, just as the

0:07:54.116 --> 0:08:01.916
<v Speaker 2>Lord had promised. Upon their return, the spies gathered the

0:08:01.956 --> 0:08:06.236
<v Speaker 2>people of Israel to share their findings. They brought back

0:08:06.476 --> 0:08:11.396
<v Speaker 2>a cluster of ripe grapes, so large that it had

0:08:11.436 --> 0:08:17.396
<v Speaker 2>to be carried on a pole between two men. The

0:08:17.516 --> 0:08:22.596
<v Speaker 2>people marveled at the bounty. They goggled wide eyed at

0:08:22.596 --> 0:08:28.516
<v Speaker 2>these grapes the size of apples, Their hearts filled with anticipation.

0:08:30.236 --> 0:08:36.276
<v Speaker 2>Only God could possibly bring such wild abundance, and he

0:08:36.396 --> 0:08:43.276
<v Speaker 2>was beckoning his children into this land. But ten of

0:08:43.316 --> 0:08:49.076
<v Speaker 2>the twelve spies gave a discouraging report. They spoke of

0:08:49.116 --> 0:08:56.796
<v Speaker 2>the formidable inhabitants of the land, giants, warriors, and fortified cities.

0:09:00.316 --> 0:09:05.396
<v Speaker 2>Fear spread like wildfire among the Israelites, and murmurs of

0:09:05.516 --> 0:09:12.836
<v Speaker 2>doubt and despair filled the camp. They started to doubt

0:09:12.876 --> 0:09:18.076
<v Speaker 2>God's goodness and power. Why would God call us all

0:09:18.116 --> 0:09:23.316
<v Speaker 2>the way here, through this arduous and perilous journey for

0:09:23.476 --> 0:09:27.596
<v Speaker 2>us to die on the edge of this land? Does

0:09:27.636 --> 0:09:30.516
<v Speaker 2>He have the power to give us a victory over

0:09:30.596 --> 0:09:38.276
<v Speaker 2>such fearsome enemies. In the midst of the fear and uncertainty,

0:09:39.436 --> 0:09:44.036
<v Speaker 2>Caleb and Joshua stood up to speak. Their voices were

0:09:44.116 --> 0:09:50.756
<v Speaker 2>calm but resolute. The land we passed through is exceedingly good,

0:09:51.036 --> 0:09:56.636
<v Speaker 2>Caleb began, If the Lord delights in us, he will

0:09:56.676 --> 0:10:00.516
<v Speaker 2>bring us into this land and give it to us,

0:10:01.676 --> 0:10:06.956
<v Speaker 2>a land that flows with milk and honey. Do not

0:10:07.236 --> 0:10:11.156
<v Speaker 2>rebel against the Lord, and do not be afraid of

0:10:11.236 --> 0:10:15.876
<v Speaker 2>the people of the land, for they are bred for us.

0:10:16.236 --> 0:10:20.516
<v Speaker 2>Their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is

0:10:20.556 --> 0:10:29.356
<v Speaker 2>with us. Do not fear them. Joshua vigorously nodded his

0:10:29.476 --> 0:10:33.436
<v Speaker 2>head in agreement, his eyes fixed on the people with

0:10:33.796 --> 0:10:40.676
<v Speaker 2>unwavering faith. Remember the Lord's promises and the miracles he

0:10:40.756 --> 0:10:45.956
<v Speaker 2>has performed. Trust in his word and his plan for us.

0:10:46.836 --> 0:10:51.076
<v Speaker 2>He will never fail us. He will never break a

0:10:51.156 --> 0:10:59.156
<v Speaker 2>promise to us. The words of Caleb and Joshua resonated

0:10:59.236 --> 0:11:04.116
<v Speaker 2>deeply with many, but fears still grip the hearts of

0:11:04.156 --> 0:11:09.756
<v Speaker 2>the majority. Some even began to talk of returning to Egypt,

0:11:10.596 --> 0:11:16.076
<v Speaker 2>preferring the known hardships of slavery to the unknown challenges

0:11:16.156 --> 0:11:24.956
<v Speaker 2>of the promised land. Moses, Aaron, Caleb, and Joshua fell

0:11:24.996 --> 0:11:29.156
<v Speaker 2>on their faces before the assembly, praying for the people's

0:11:29.236 --> 0:11:35.196
<v Speaker 2>faith to be strengthened. The Lord's presence was palpable, a

0:11:35.316 --> 0:11:43.316
<v Speaker 2>comforssing assurance amidst the turmoil. Perhaps you can sense that

0:11:43.596 --> 0:11:49.596
<v Speaker 2>very same palpable presence of God He has strengthening your

0:11:49.676 --> 0:11:58.996
<v Speaker 2>faith too, giving you comforting assurance. Whatever giants you are facing,

0:12:00.116 --> 0:12:03.396
<v Speaker 2>whatever challenge is tempting you to waver in your faith

0:12:03.476 --> 0:12:10.756
<v Speaker 2>towards God. Let his Holy Spirit bring peace, perfect peace,

0:12:11.956 --> 0:12:18.236
<v Speaker 2>other worldly peace that will dramatically quiet all gnawing fears.

0:12:19.716 --> 0:12:25.996
<v Speaker 2>So precious one feel all in a turmoil, dissipating in

0:12:26.036 --> 0:12:33.436
<v Speaker 2>the presence of God. Loving Lord Jesus, Thank you for

0:12:33.476 --> 0:12:38.276
<v Speaker 2>your incredible peace that you are showering on your beloved child.

0:12:38.316 --> 0:12:43.116
<v Speaker 2>Now you know that the challenges they face are real.

0:12:43.956 --> 0:12:47.756
<v Speaker 2>It's true that life is hard, and there are many

0:12:47.796 --> 0:12:54.076
<v Speaker 2>and varied problems that arise every day. But you are greater. Lord,

0:12:54.756 --> 0:13:00.756
<v Speaker 2>You are far far greater than all other giants, all

0:13:00.876 --> 0:13:05.476
<v Speaker 2>other enemies, and all other obstacles that we might face.

0:13:07.036 --> 0:13:12.356
<v Speaker 2>Strengthen your child to turn their face like flint and

0:13:12.596 --> 0:13:17.396
<v Speaker 2>walk into their promised land, so they can claim the

0:13:17.436 --> 0:13:21.796
<v Speaker 2>grapes the size of apples, and drink of the rivers

0:13:21.836 --> 0:13:28.876
<v Speaker 2>of nourishing milk and taste the sweet waterfalls of honey. Yes,

0:13:29.196 --> 0:13:33.356
<v Speaker 2>there are enemies to conquer, but you will do the

0:13:33.396 --> 0:13:40.116
<v Speaker 2>fighting for us. We need only be still, So Father God,

0:13:41.196 --> 0:13:45.076
<v Speaker 2>let this child be still and watch you do the

0:13:45.116 --> 0:13:50.876
<v Speaker 2>fighting for them. May they rise up, encourage, and march

0:13:51.076 --> 0:13:56.276
<v Speaker 2>into their promised land. But stand aside as you wipe

0:13:56.276 --> 0:14:01.196
<v Speaker 2>out the problems before them, like a broom coming to

0:14:01.316 --> 0:14:07.476
<v Speaker 2>sweep it all away. Sweep away the obstacles, sweep away

0:14:07.676 --> 0:14:14.996
<v Speaker 2>all the depression, clear away all anxiety, wipe away all

0:14:15.116 --> 0:14:20.756
<v Speaker 2>fatigue and weariness of heart. Lord, I pray of your

0:14:20.836 --> 0:14:25.916
<v Speaker 2>child and the words of Caleb. Do not rebel against

0:14:25.996 --> 0:14:29.356
<v Speaker 2>the Lord, and do not be afraid of the people

0:14:29.396 --> 0:14:34.156
<v Speaker 2>of the land, for they are bred for us. There

0:14:34.196 --> 0:14:39.076
<v Speaker 2>protect is removed from them, and the Lord is with us.

0:14:40.076 --> 0:14:47.196
<v Speaker 2>Do not fear them. Beloved Lord, we are so grateful

0:14:47.236 --> 0:14:49.956
<v Speaker 2>that you have carried us through every challenge of our

0:14:50.036 --> 0:14:54.396
<v Speaker 2>lives to get to this moment when we can experience

0:14:54.476 --> 0:15:00.476
<v Speaker 2>your nurturing rest and your sweet presence. Your promises are

0:15:00.596 --> 0:15:05.916
<v Speaker 2>better than milk and sweeter than honey. We long for

0:15:06.036 --> 0:15:09.796
<v Speaker 2>more of you, Lord. May you overcome the giants in

0:15:09.836 --> 0:15:14.996
<v Speaker 2>our land and cover us with your protection. We bless

0:15:15.076 --> 0:15:21.276
<v Speaker 2>your holy name, Jesus be with this precious child and

0:15:21.436 --> 0:15:30.276
<v Speaker 2>your mighty name Jesus. Amen. I pray, precious child of God.

0:15:31.116 --> 0:15:35.356
<v Speaker 2>This story will serve as a gentle reminder of God's

0:15:35.356 --> 0:15:40.316
<v Speaker 2>promises and the importance of faith that it will resonate

0:15:40.396 --> 0:15:43.916
<v Speaker 2>with you as you sleep and continue when you wake.

0:15:47.316 --> 0:15:52.156
<v Speaker 2>May you find rest and assurance in the divine presence

0:15:52.316 --> 0:15:57.596
<v Speaker 2>of His Holy Spirit. The land you will pass through

0:15:58.196 --> 0:16:03.436
<v Speaker 2>is exceedingly good. If the Lord delights in you, he

0:16:03.516 --> 0:16:06.676
<v Speaker 2>will bring you into this land and give it to you,

0:16:07.956 --> 0:16:34.036
<v Speaker 2>a land that flows with milk and honey

0:16:35.636 --> 0:16:35.676
<v Speaker 1>In