“So Joshua took the entire land,
just as the Lord had directed Moses, and gave it as an inheritance to Israel
according to their tribal divisions.
Then the land had rest from war.”
Joshua 11:23
Now hear is an interesting story. I read the book of Joshua, and come across
this verse. After looking at it, I say
to myself, “Good grief! These guys go on
for years (not to mention 11 chapters) fight after fight even after Moses
delivered them out of bondage, and only NOW do they get to rest?” You would think that God could have made it
just a little easier, wouldn’t you? I
mean this is God that could take on the mighty army of Egypt and
render them helpless! Surely, He could
have rid the smaller armies in Jordan in little time, couldn’t He have? Certainly after the people of Israel had been
forced to wander in the desert for years, they would have figured out that the
Lord is God, and He will handle things, right?
Apparently not.
Now if we take a closer look into
this story, there are a couple truths to be remembered. The first is we know that God is always in
control, and secondly, we should also know that God tests us on occasion just to
see if we will remain faithful. The book
of Joshua was about one of God’s most faithful servants, and in every instance that
God spoke to him, Joshua followed His instructions to the letter. As a result, Joshua was allowed to lead the
people to the promise land giving the people of Israel victory after victory over
their enemies. Thus, those who followed
God’s law were entitled to Lord’s promise, and given land section by section
and city by city.
It led me to think about
celebrating our own victories. If we as
Christians are faithful to God and His word, do we fail to acknowledge the
victories He gives us? When we pray at
night, does He not give us the victory of another day that we were allowed to
serve him? When we return from our job
to our homes, did the Lord not give us the victory of safely reaching our
destination? When family, friends, and
loved ones are in His care, does He not give us the victory of peace and
tranquility? I could go on and on about
this, but hopefully you will have realized just how much God has given us. Even at times where we feel our prayers are
not answers, it is not about the prayers not being answered. It is often that we are not patiently waiting
for the right time. If we truly trust in
Him, we realize that what seems like ‘no’ really means ‘not yet.’
God is a good God. When we commit our lives to the Lord saying
that Jesus died on the cross for our sins and believe that Jesus was
resurrected as proof of his overcoming death giving eternal life through him,
it was the greatest victory of all. I am
thankful God’s truth allowed for me victory over the past, and as a result I
have everlasting joy sharing with those truths with all of you each and every
week. The more we rely on the Lord and stay
faithful to him, we, just as Joshua, will experience victory over our enemies, shortcomings
and hard times, and despair and solitude.
If for nothing
else, remember the words of Bear Grylls, who simply said, “Never forget how
lucky you are to be alive.” Let us remember that each day is a
victory! Could you imagine how much joy
you would have in life knowing that every day you are a winner? Don’t wait for it. Claim it!
My prayer is that having God in our lives means we can celebrate victory
every day. Amen!
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