A Command for Courage - Conclusion

How was your weekend?  Ours was one packed with activity and chaos.  Anytime the grandson is at our house, it's chaos. :)

Even so, it's time to get moving and cross the river.  We need to finish up on our Command for Courage series so we can move on to other topics. 

Today, I want to look at Joshua 3 through 6, and pick out the golden nuggets that God left for us there.

Chapter 3

Joshua was instructed by the Lord to lead over 2 million people across the Jordan river.  Can you just imagine what a feat that was?

Has God asked you to do something monumental?  Something you seem inadequate to do?  Well, hold on.  He will give you help along the way.

In verse 5 of Chapter 3, Joshua tells the people to, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." 

He was telling them to make ready...to prepare themselves and be holy, then to wait for God to show up and do things they couldn't even imagine. 

• How are you making yourself ready for God's intervention today?  
• Is your marriage failing?  How are you preparing yourself to see God do amazing things?
• Has he called you into a new job?  If so, how are you getting ready for it?

We have to prepare by staying in His Word, being on our knees in prayer, and listening for His still small voice.  We also have to be aware of our surroundings and watch for God-moments.  They're there, but we often overlook them in our frustration and feelings of hopelessness.

Reading on in the passage, we see that God parted the Jordan river and allowed the people to cross onto dry ground, just as He did with the Red Sea.

After they had crossed (Chapter 4),  God instructed Joshua to have 12 men - one from each tribe, take up 12 stones from the riverbed and stack them in their camp as a reminder of His provision.

What are some of the stones in your life today?  We all have them.  Hard times you and I have gone through are the stones that prove God's faithfulness to us.  

I have kept a journal for years.  In it, I occasionally write struggles I'm facing and how God has worked through those situations.  In essence, those books are my "stones," or my reminder of God's goodness in helping me to overcome the obstacle.

Finally, in Chapter 5, verse 13, Joshua encounters a warrior in the road ahead.  Now this was not just any warrior, but THE Warrior - a pre-incarnate Christ.

Joshua needed an extra boost of confidence before he took the city Jericho.  Christ appeared as a Warrior who was going before him in the battle.

Matthew Henry, a great Bible scholar and commentator once wrote, "Christ will be to His people what their faith needs."  

How is Christ "appearing" to you today?  How is He encouraging you along your journey?

Perhaps it is through a visit from a friend, a phone call, a card in the mail, prayers of those who love and care about you, or through His Word.  Look for it, friend.  It's all around you.  God is trying to show you His love for you through others and other avenues.   

Chapter 6

Finally, Joshua and the people enter the land of Jericho.  God tells Joshua in verse 2, "I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men."

What a promise!  He was basically telling Joshua, "Here it is, boy.  I'm handing it to you.  Now go take it." BUT, there were instructions in how he was to do exactly that.

Joshua was to have the priests/people march around the city for a total of 7 days and on the 7th day do it 7 times.  On the 7th day, 7 priests with 7 trumpets were to march, and this was all after being told 7 times "be strong and courageous."  See a pattern?

The number 7 means completion, sanctification, completely give over, finished....it's a done deal.

God promised Joshua over and over and over that it would be a done deal, and reading further in Chapter 6, we see that the "impenetrable" walls of Jericho come tumbling down.

What are the walls you're dealing with today?  Do you believe God can handle it or do you see them as bigger than your God?

Trust Him, friend.  He is so much bigger than any physical, mental or spiritual struggle you are dealing with.  Lean on Him and He will direct your path. 

Praying for you this week.  May the God of all comfort and strength draw near you.

Blessings,
Kristi