Faith
"And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout then shall ye shout." – Joshua 6:10
“Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.” – Psalm 46:10
As I write this, I am struggling. I am fighting depression and anger, and I must constantly be careful what I say so that I do not offend anyone. One day, I was on the mountain looking back and glorifying God for how far He has brought me, and the next moment, I am looking up and wondering what happened. I am in the desert and feel defeated. My job is stressful, as my boss is micromanaging and reversing every solution I implement. My coworkers are struggling as well, so we end up simply frustrating each other. Satan is whispering his lies, and I feel like a failure. It is in times like this that I thank God. For it has never been about who I am and what I have done, but about who He is and what He has done.
We all have times of frustrations and failures. It might be as simple as an unkind or belittling word spoken to our spouse, children, coworkers, or friends that we immediately regret. Other times it could be giving in to an addiction that we thought was long overcome. At times, our flesh leads us to sin, whether in thought, word, or deed. We fall down and it becomes difficult to even stand back up, much less take the next step through the desert valley. At times like these, it is vital that we remember God's faithfulness and power. God loves us and will not abandon us. In every situation it comes down to God's power, our surrender to Him, and faith (Romans 8:37).
After forty years in the desert, God led Israel into the promised land. They had failed God's tests time after time, yet even in their failures, God brought the victory and delivered them by His might and power. In each situation, God proved Himself faithful. Israel learned obedience through every struggle and God-given victory. They learned the power of faith and to trust in the one who proved Himself faithful. It was never about their strength, but His.
Thus, when Israel stood outside the tall and mighty walls of Jericho and God told them to be silent and to trust Him, they did. It must have seemed absurd when God asked them to simply walk in circles and blow on their trumpets, but they had witnessed God do the impossible. They might have considered how often they failed while attempting to do things their own way and how often God delivered them in spite of their failures. They could not see how it would be done, but their faith said that God would provide the victory.
The sons of Korah in Psalm 46:1-3 said, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.”
The text goes on to say in effect, relax and trust me - "Be still and know that I'm God (Psalm 46:10)." This is our example when life is difficult (1 Corinthians 10:11). We might fail time after time and believe that the walls are too tall and the enemy too strong. For us, it is - but it was never about our strength, but His. The battle belongs to the Lord. All we are called to do is follow where He leads us and to listen to His voice. Israel did not bring down the walls of Jericho by their own strength but by faith. They were called to obey and trust God. We are called to do nothing beyond that.
God does not need us to be strong, but faithful. He has won the war, and He has given us the victory. It may not seem like it during the dry times, but God is working in every situation. We march on in silence until God calls us to shout. For it is not about our fight, but our faith.
