Through The Bible in a Year - February 26, 2026

“They took in their hands some of the fruit of the land...and said, ‘It is a good land.’ Yet you would not go up, but rebelled.” – Deuteronomy 1:25-26

Remember the internet sensation? A computer-generated word that some people heard as “Yanny” while others heard “Laurel”—the exact same sound, heard as completely different words. What you heard had little to do with what came out of your computer. It had everything to do with what was inside you—your background, your state of mind, your language patterns.

The same thing happened when Israel sent spies into the Promised Land. Some heard, “Great grapes!” Others heard, “Giant people!” And which report you heard depended not on what the spies said, but on what was going on inside you.

This still happens in our hearts every time God calls us to challenging responsibilities:

Should we forego a promotion for our family’s spiritual good? Do we hear warnings about Giants to fear or hear God’s promises of grapes to harvest?

Should we give sacrificially to God’s purposes? Giants or grapes?

Should we have/adopt/foster a child? Giants or grapes?

Should we speak to a friend about our faith? Giants or grapes?

Grape reports are opportunities to see God work. Giant reports are obstacles standing in the way of God’s work. Which we hear largely determines what we believe.

Here’s the truth: When your God is big, your problems are small. But when your God is small, your problems are giant.

The people looked at the giants in the promised land and said, “God hates us. He brought us here to destroy us.” But the giants were GIANT only because God was small. The immature people of God perceived his as mean, petty, and unable to care for His people.

Respond: What “giant” is looming in your life right now? Be honest—is it really the obstacle that’s giant, or has your view of God become small? Today, ask God to show you how big He really is so that you can fulfill his calling through confidence in his greatness and goodness.

Prayer: Lord, forgive me for shrinking You down to the size of my faith. You are bigger than my obstacles, stronger than my giants, greater than my problems. Help me hear “grapes” when I’m tempted to hear reports of “giants.” Make Yourself big in my heart again so that I will be faithful to yours. In Jesus’ name, amen.