Little by Little (Deuteronomy 7)

Deuteronomy 7:22 And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee.

God chose the nation of Israel to drive out and destroy the wicked Canaanites. For four hundred years, God waited for them to repent (Gen 15:16), but they did not. When Israel went into the land, victory was certain, but it was experienced gradually, by little and little.

This was not because God was not able, but because Israel could not handle it all at once. If all the inhabitants were removed at once, there would be too much land for them to take control of and the beasts of the field would overrun it. So God in His wisdom gave it to them bit by bit, as they were able.

God seems to work the same in our lives. He gives us what we are able to handle and little by little leads us along. If he gave us at once everything He wanted us to do, we would not be able to handle it. But step by step, the Lord will give us more responsibility as we make the most of what we are given and grow along with what we are given. So may we be faithful to make the most of the little God has given us today and perhaps He will give us a little more tomorrow.