God's Ways Are Not Our Ways

Joshua 6:2-5 - Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.  March around the city once with all the 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, everyone straight in.”

The commander of God’s army delivered God’s instructions….a simple 7 day plan of attack. The fortified city would crumble all on its own…all they had to do was silently march around it one time for six days...then on the seventh day they would march around it 7 times.  The only sounds for the marches would be the 7 ram horns the priests would blow as they led the Israelites.

Joshua did not argue with what must have seemed a strange plan to him.  He obeyed… carrying out every instruction to the last detail. The camp woke early for the next 7 days …and fell in behind the ark and the priests and silently obeyed the instructions Joshua had received from God.  All that silence ended in a mighty shout when they finished the last march around the city…as the walls crumbed before their eyes.

This story is a great reminder of two things. First…God works in his own unique way.  His ways may seem strange and weird to our earthly brains…but if we trust him in faith…he always keeps his word. Second... God’s timing is perfect...even when we don’t see the purpose right away. God build strength and confidence in the Israelites as he slowly placed fear and terror in the people of Jericho,

Romans 8:28 keeps popping up in my pathway. It promises that if we are obedient like Joshua…. We are assured that whatever has happened is a part of his greater plan to save the world from evil.  It says…..” And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  I still cling to my favorite verse….Jeremiah 29:11…which says that whatever that plan is….it is meant to prosper me and not to harm me…to make my future a good one.

Father...thank you for the reminders that you work in ways that I am humanly not able to fathom…and all those plans are meant for good not evil.   Forgive me for the times that I forget that promise and begin to doubt the goodness of your love and care while I wait on your timing. Help me to be strong and courageous like Joshua..trusting in you even when your plan is not what I imagined it to be.  Amen.