Day: February 21, 2024

Following God Brings Success

Joshua employs a textbook
strategy for military victory:
Divide and conquer. He attacks
the middle of the country first,
dividing the enemy forces in half,
before mopping up resistance
among the isolated troops in the
south and north. His stunning
victory at Jericho shows the
importance of following God’s
direction down to the smallest
detail, no matter how trivial
they seem to be, proving
Obedience Brings Victory.

Lord, we’ll Obey Your Instructions:
The Lord said to Joshua:
I have given You Jericho, its
king and all its strong warriors.
Your entire army is to march around
the city once a day for six days.
Seven priests will walk ahead of
the Ark each carrying a ram’s horn.
On the seventh day you are to
march around the city seven times,
with the priests blowing the horns.
When you hear the priests give
one long blast on the horns, have
all the people give a mighty shout.
Then the walls of the city will
collapse & the people can charge
straight into the city (Josh 6:2-5).
When the people heard the sound
of the trumpet, and the people
shouted with a great shout, that
the wall fell down flat. Then the
people went up into the city…
and they took the city (v20).

Lord, when You told Joshua:
“I Have Given You Jericho”; it
indicated that it was a done deal.
It’s Finished work; just waiting for
the people’s obedience to bring
that promise to their experience.
The author of Hebrews writes: It
was by faith that the people of Israel
 marched around Jericho for 7 days,
and the walls came crashing down.
Lord grant us the faith to obey Your
instructions to march around our
Jericho to see the walls fall. Amen.

Lord, according to scripture, when
Your promise comes into contact
with our faith-filled obedience,
walls fall and obstacles disappear.
The only way our Jericho will
stand is if we believe our limited
perception instead of God’s Word.
Grant us the grace to simply trust
God’s Word & not miss opportunity
to see Your power in action. Amen.

Lord, help us to remember
when You God calls us to battle,
You have already won the victory.
Teach us O Lord to walk by faith
and not by sight. We choose to
believe You rather than our own
     perceptions and interpretations.
And we receive by faith Your
given victory in our situation.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.

Praise the Living God In Control

The Jews are poised within view of
the land promised to their ancestors
& denied their unbelieving parents.
The task seems impossible:
a turbulent river; rough terrain to
cross and walled cities to conquer.
So God begins to prepare His people
for the days of warfare just ahead.
He reminds Joshua that careful
attention to His Word brings
blessing and success. Spies are
sent to survey Jericho, the first
obstacle in the land. The priests
bearing the ark of covenant lead the
pple across the rampaging Jordan.

Praise be Supreme God In Control:
Rahab: We have heard how the
Lord made a dry path for you
through the Red Sea. And we
know what you did to the two
Amorite kings east of the Jordan
River, whose people you completely
destroyed… For the Lord your God is
supreme God in heaven(Jos 2:10-11)
So Joshua said to the children of
Israel: This is how you will know
that the Living God… is among you
and that He will certainly drive out
the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites…
Amorites and the Jebusites.
Behold, the ark of the covenant
of the Lord is crossing before
you into the Jordan (Jos 3:10-11).
As soon as the priests who carry
the ark of the Lord, the Lord of
All The Earth set foot in the Jordan,
its waters flowing downstream
will be cut off and stand up
in a heap (Joshua 3:13).

Lord God Almighty, You sit
in the throne in heaven above.
You are truly ruler over all; and
Power and might are in Your hand.
You alone can go before us to
open doors we could not open
on our own, and lead in a path we
could not have created on our own.
Be gracious Lord towards us as we
lift up our eyes & look to You. Amen

O Living God, we praise You
for Your powerful life-giving name.
Thank You for being active and
engaged in our everyday life.
You are not a God who is distant
and not keen in what happens to us.
Just as You helped the Israelites,
You Lord are alive and moving in
the situations of our lives as well.
Grateful for Your loving care. Amen

Lord of All The Earth, we praise
& exalt You Lord for Your ability to
subdue all that’s in Your creation.
You are the great and awesome
God who still does mighty
acts on behalf of Your people.
It is so comforting to know that
nothing is too difficult for You or
removed from Your control. And
in You we can find peace. Amen.