My friend Juliet Canha says that perspective is everything, and I find support for that idea in a certain story in the Bible.

Moses sent twelve spies to search out the land of Canaan and then bring back a report on what they observed. He hoped that their report would help prepare the people of Israel to conquer their promised land.

Two of the spies—Joshua and Caleb—were men of faith, and they saw the promised land through eyes of faith.

The other ten spies, however, viewed what they saw through eyes of unbelief. Consequently, “they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants’” (Num 13:32).

Why did they describe the land of Canaan as “a land that devours its inhabitants”? Because they had witnessed an uncommon number of funerals among the Canaanites. And the people they were burying were young people in their years of strength. Why were so many vibrant people suffering premature deaths in Canaan? Looking from a perspective of unbelief, the ten spies concluded, “This is a hostile country. It’s deadly to its inhabitants. It’s a land that devours its inhabitants, and if we move into this country, it will devour us, too.”

They saw the whole thing as a setup for catastrophe. God had bought them to Canaan—so they thought—to destroy them.

Caleb and Joshua, however, had a different perspective. They were looking at the exact same thing—funerals everywhere—but viewed them through eyes of faith.

Caleb and Joshua saw God fighting for Israel. They saw that the Canaanites’ protection had departed from them, and God was already thinning their military ranks (Num 14:9).

They remembered God’s promises, “I will cut them off…I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you” (Ex 23:23, 27). God was doing it! He was fighting for them. He was weakening the Canaanites so Israel could take its promised land.

All twelve spies were looking at the same thing, but their conclusions were vastly divergent.

Unbelief said, “God is against us.” Faith said, “God is for us.”
Unbelief said, “This is horrible!” Faith said, “This is awesome!”
Unbelief said, “We’re trapped!” Faith said, “We’re set up for victory.”
Unbelief said, “God is going to destroy us.” Faith said, “God is giving us our inheritance.”

Yes, sometimes perspective changes everything. Seek the Lord for His perspective on your situation. When you see what He sees, your heart will soar with confidence in the good thing He is doing in your life.

God is for you!