At church this Sunday, the message was about Joshua leading the children of Israel into the promised land and conquering the city of Jericho. This made me consider the method that God prescribed to the Israelites. No strategist, general or commander of any army would ever dare order his troops to march around a city for 7 days and expect the city to fall. Two things had to be at play, one, God had to have a supernatural hand in the matter and two, Joshua and the Israelite army had to have absolute faith in God. The orders God gave to the Joshua would seem ludicrous to anyone who has even a fleeting understanding of warfare. Interestingly, the Bible says that the ways of God seem foolish to those that do not know God.
I Corinthians 2:14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.
Oftentimes, the method God chooses to accomplish His will in our lives is not anywhere close to how we would plan or even imagine. Personally, I have seen God creatively bring me to His will. I remember when in the mid 1990's I thought I was too busy to go to Bible College. First I suffered an injury at work which incapacitated me for a few weeks and when I did not get the message from that event, I suffered a hernia delivering food to homeless kids on Ft. Lauderdale Beach. After six weeks on my back, I realized I would have all the time I needed to work full time and attend college. Amazingly, I managed to take on a full 13 credit hour load, work full time and serve in my church. God showed me the way when I thought there was no way.
In the Jericho account, we see God providing a victory for His people in a most unconventional manner. Only a people who totally trust God would ever dare to embark on such a method of warfare. God called His people to trust Him and when they did, He brought down the walls. Joshua did not make a plan and then ask God to bless it, Joshua listened to God and obeyed.
Many times, we have walls before us that seem impossible to bring down. We plan, we strive, we worry, and all to no avail. The most effective method for overcoming seemingly impossible situations is listening to God and obeying His direction. Instead of making plans and asking God to bless them, we need to seek God's will and method. As we submit to the will of God in our lives, we will see many strongholds broken and lives changed. Remember, not only did God bring the walls down but He also brought Rahab the Harlot to salvation. Joshua's obedience to God led to a great victory and the salvation of a whole family.
When there are issues in life that seem to be continual struggles regardless of how much we attempt to overcome them, it is time to rely on the supernatural power of God. What has God directed you to do to bring down the walls in your life. What has God directed you to do in order to make disciples of those you interact with each day. God's method may seem unconventional yet it is His supernatural involvement that changes our lives.
Joshua waited, listened and obeyed. That is what we need to do as well. Wait, listen, obey and let God bring down the walls. When God brings down the walls, we can walk into victory and see the lives of others change through our obedience.
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