Deuteronomy 3:25-27
I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.  But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.  Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

What a heartbreak it must have been for Moses to have come all this way, to have endured all those years, to have accomplished and seen all that he had and then to miss out on entering the promised land.  That was the goal they were striving for all of those years of wandering.  That was the hope and the vision that had helped them endure the ups and downs.  That was the culmination of that journey out of Egypt and the deliverance of Israel.  And so tantalizingly close, Moses would come up short of that.

But Moses had sinned, and God decided he would die just outside the promised land when Moses wanted nothing more than to go across that river and take it all in.  Sometimes our desires for what we want to experience in this life go unfulfilled.  We face many disappointments.  We may miss out on some good things this world has to offer.  We don’t always get to achieve or accomplish or obtain everything we hope to.  And sometimes we have to endure the sting of some harsh consequences that result from our sin.

But upon his death, Moses would go to a place far better than any earthly country.  Though he died on the other side of that river, he went to the much better place of being with his Lord.  And when we are saved, we won’t miss out on heaven.  We have that hope of going to be with our Lord and of a bright future with Him for all of eternity—not with just a fleeting glimpse of His glory, but basking in the fullness of His presence.  And surely the disappointments of our earthly lives will pale in comparison to what we get to experience when we cross over to that better country that awaits us.

Things don’t always go as planned in our lives.  Sometimes our paths don’t end up where we wish they did.  Sometimes we do miss out.  Sometimes our choices leave us on the outside looking in.  But God is gracious.  God still loves us.  God has a place prepared for us that will fulfill us in more ways than we can ever be fulfilled here.  And even though we may bear the pain of those disappointments, we can have hope that our future will more than make up for what we lose out on now.  So may we keep moving forward during our time here and live with great anticipation for what comes next when we are faithful.