Jericho walls. The Lord commanded Joshua in Joshua 6:3-5 to “March around the city once with all armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, the army straight in.”
Who was Joshua? Joshua was a man who put his complete trust in God. Joshua let God use him in mighty ways by listening carefully to God’s will. Joshua was a man who exemplified surrender. He was a leader to all of humanity but first was a devoted follower of God. All things that flowed from him were God-willed purposes written on his heart. He gave up everything to listen closely to God’s given promises— the promises that God would give Joshua every place he stepped foot. This included crossing the Jordan River and following the Lord in what seemed like crazy dangerous encounters, which were spying out on land and tearing down the walls of Jericho. That is a lot of responsibility to bear, but God worked mysteriously through it all.
How cool would it be to mirror Joshua’s pursuit of obedience to our Father. Although probably anxiously waiting for God to perform His works of wonder, I am sure Joshua thought “How is this going to happen?” He always knew though that it was God’s will. Joshua was leading a group, but ultimately God had the mighty power to make these inconceivable things happen. And that is where Joshua had the upper hand.
Having faith beyond our clouded thoughts of doubt can make all the difference in the world. God is nearer than any physical being can be. He understands beyond imagination. He is our prince of PEACE. He hears our cries and knows all of our worries. He WANTS to comfort, but His loving comfort does not allow us to stay complacent. Let’s let Him comfort us, but the most rewarding thing we can do is take steps of obedience, even in the midst of “impossible” things. I know for me personally, if I am battling another period of depression, I must be obedient in taking my medication, spending time with the Lord still, and taking care of myself in ways like attending therapy, eating, and doing things that usually make me happy. I have to do this regardless of what I feel. Do I always master this practice? No, I unfortunately do not, but I am working towards doing better because when I AM OBEDIENT in taking care of myself, eventually it brings me out of the pits of depression and helps me to feel better. Same goes for our obedience to God. When we trust the Lord, the unimaginable happens. We have a beautiful chance to honor God before, during, and after trials. What does God want to teach us through it? We can focus on the hardships OR we can focus on what God has to say through it all. The choice us up to us, but the only thing that will bring us comfort is depending on God by hearing, accepting, and executing what all God has for us. Trusting in God can bring comfort in knowing what He has in store for us.
Bad things happen; that is just a given phenomenon that happens when living in this corrupt world. One thing we can do though is walk around as if we are walking around the city of Jericho. Just like Joshua, we can do it 6 times, and on the seventh time, let’s shout those walls down with God’s victorious roar. We have a God of strength and power. We get a little stronger when God is with us directing our paths, therefore, we can have a taste of heaven here on earth as we seek our God of mercy and triumph. Wait patiently as you walk around walls of hurting, heartache, confusion, and any circling thoughts of doubt— you are going to see a victory, even if it is not your own vision of victory. God’s outlook on our victory is far greater and can lead to closeness to Him as we rejoice in that. It may seem like we are walking around those walls time and time and time again, but eventually, we will have a victory; THANK GOD for that!!!
I pray that you press into the Lord as you seek freedom from your circumstances. I pray that you hold faith in Jesus and allow Him to ground you in the chaos. We cannot do this alone, but in the presence of our victorious God, we can knock those walls down and be free in His name. My life is a testament to a working God. He saved my life when I attempted suicide and kept me in this world to do His work. He holds me close and is a precious friend in the darkness that I face. He is here continuously, and He can be that rock for you as well. It is not a formula to gain God’s love, but it is a given gift to us as we seek His face. My friend, you can do it and make it through the storm.
Psalm 116 is my favorite. I hold this dear to my heart and take it quite literally in thanking God. It has words of life as we remember God’s closeness to us, and some of it reads “I love the Lord, for He heard my voice; He heard my cry for mercy. Because He turned His ear to me, I will call on Him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord; ‘Lord, save me!’ The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of COMPASSION. The lord PROTECTS the unwary; When I was brought low, He saved me. Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” Please, PLEASE mediate on this scripture. Open the Bible and read the rest of what this passage has to give. What does it mean to you? How has God turned His ear to you, saving you with grace and righteousness? I encourage you to make a list of past revelations from God and how He has carried you this far. How do you believe God has cared for you in times of distress and sorrow? Let us always take time to honor God in who He is and what He has done to keep us alive. The least God deserves is our undivided attention. I pray that you are able to give your attention in abundance to God!
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