War Strategies

Dear friends,

This morning my Bible reading took me to the story of Joshua fighting the Battle of Jericho (Joshua 6:8-20). Many of us are familiar with this story - and some of us even know the children’s song. But if you’re not familiar with it, it’s a popular story from the Old Testament in which the Israelites come up to the walled city of Jericho on their move into the Promised Land. They need to conquer the city, but the walls make it practically impossible.

That’s when God tells the leader, Joshua, to have all the Israelites march around the city for six days, and blow horns. God promises that if they do that, then on the seventh day, they will conquer Jericho. Now, I’m not much of an expert on war strategies, but even I can tell that this plan is a bit “out there.” But as I read the story again this morning, I realized that my opinion on it was warped, because it’s based on a human perspective - while God’s perspective is not.

Here’s what I mean: by having the Israelites face a situation that they could not overcome on their own, God placed them in a position to see His glory and power. No one else’s. So on that seventh day, when those walls fell down, there wasn’t a single Israelite who could stand back and say, “I did that.” Instead, it was all 100% God. There was only one person who could receive the glory for that work, and that was God.

And what God did in the Israelite nation He also does in our lives. God will lead us on paths that seem to have insurmountable obstacles. But that’s only from our perspective. From His point of view, He still has everything in control. And He can overcome any challenges that we face. It might not always seem rational to us, and it might not always be the way we want it to happen, and it might even cause us some pain and difficulty - but none of that takes away from the fact that God can do it. And that’s because we have a God who takes care of His people – in His time, and in His way, for His glory.

Folks, one of the realities of life is that God will often put us in positions where we are desperate for His power - and then He shows up and reveals His provision in ways that display His greatness. So today, let’s take all the obstacles and challenges that we’re facing, and let’s bring them to God. Let’s acknowledge that it’s only through HIS power that these things can be dealt with, and then let’s submit ourselves to His plans for our good and His glory.

Amen?

Daniel