Today's promise: God will fight for you
Have you had a
"Jericho" experience?
Be strong and
courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you
wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 NLT
Taking Jericho
Imagine this scene for a
minute. You're a captain in Joshua's army camped a few miles outside the city
of Jericho. You've seen the thick, double-layered stone walls surrounding the
city and armed soldiers guarding every entrance. You've heard tales of the
fierce Canaanite army and their ability to hold their ground in battle.
In the midst of all of
this, an edict comes down from the upper ranks. Israel is planning to take
Jericho. Actually, what the message says is that Israel has already taken
Jericho, but Jericho just doesn't know it yet. The battle plan is really no
plan at all. You're supposed to get your troops together and conduct a victory
march around the city. Just once — for six days in a row. Then on the seventh
day you're to march seven times around the city. That's when your soldiers can
march in and take possession.
The next day you're
marching around the city, and you can't help but hear the taunts coming from
inside the walls. You know how silly this all looks, but you keep marching just
the same. Because you know that God is on your side, and you've seen what he
can do.
This is why God reminded
Joshua time and again to "be strong and courageous." God has a way of
working that tends to fall outside the norm, and he needs people who trust him
enough to go the distance, no matter how bizarre the game plan. Courage is
important to God because courage is a natural byproduct of trust. And the
greater we trust, the braver we become. As long as God leads the battle, we can
march in confidence, knowing that we've already won. God gave Jericho to Israel
on the seventh day, just as he said he would. So,…what wall does he have you
marching around?
from Embracing Eternity by Tim LaHaye, Jerry
Jenkins and Frank M. Martin, Tyndale House Publishers (2004), p 76
Content is derived
from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation and other publications of Tyndale
Publishing House
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