The Everyday Prayer

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 7:6-12, 20-21 (day seven)

I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst. Joshua 7:12

and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:20

Aren’t you thankful for the cross? Without the cross, we alone are accountable for our transgressions. Without the cross, we are dead in our trespasses and sins. Without the cross, we put others at risk with every selfish decision. Aren’t you thankful for the cross?

Aren’t you thankful for the empty tomb? Without the empty tomb, the presence of the Lord is not guaranteed. Without the empty tomb, we are left to fight our enemies alone. Without the empty tomb, death would be our greatest fear. Aren’t you thankful for the empty tomb?

The cross and the tomb bring us the promise of a Risen Savior. They bring us a promise that the Lord will always be by our side. They promise us hope.

He is Risen!

Re:Verse passage – Matthew 28:16-20 (alternate Easter text) (day six)

¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,^[a] baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20

After defeating sin and death in his resurrection, Jesus’ full rights as the Son of God have been restored (see Philippians 2:7), demonstrated in his “authority in heaven and on earth.” Of course, this means he has the authority to command the church to “make disciples” with the full expectation of obedience. It also means he has the authority to fulfill the command through us; to finish the task. That’s what Jesus meant when he said, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

May that give us the confidence to obey this command through our church family faithfully.

 

They returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up; only about two or three thousand men need go up to Ai; do not make all the people toil up there, for they are few.”
What’s missing from the plan?  Did you catch it? In the previous battle  of Jericho, God was drawing up the battle plans- down to the last detail. They sought His guidance and leadership. They had an overwhelming victory. Yet, just 1 chapter later, no mention of God at all in the planning or preparation.
What if Joshua had stopped after hearing the “scouting report” and prayed?  Asked God for His wisdom and direction? Think the Lord would have confronted them about the sin problem? I do. Joshua and his leaders forgot. They were planning and fighting by sight, not faith. Dangerous. Easy to do. Forgetting how finite and prone to sin and disobedience we are. That’s one of the reasons Jesus says, “Do this in remembrance of me”. A visual and verbal reminder of our sin and need for a savior. Whatever our plans or activities or priorities, we must ask the Lord to lead and guide us- checking our hearts daily, hourly, at every step. We need that because we are sinners saved by grace.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭7‬

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 7:6-12, 20-21 (day four)

We live in a very individualistic culture here in the West. It’s easy for us to think of sin as mainly personal. “No one knows the sinful thought I had this morning,” we think, “it’s not impacting anyone else.” “Surely no one will be hurt if I take a few things for myself when no one is looking,” Achan probably thought.

But I don’t think the Kingdom of God shares this individualistic culture. Passages like this remind us that even private sins have corporate consequences. Living in genuine, Christian community with one another means that the sin of one person impacts the whole, just as the faith of one person impacts the whole. There are real people on the other side of our obedience.

As we look towards Good Friday, we can be grateful that the passion of Christ was big enough to cover us, both personally and collectively.

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 7:6-12, 20-21 (day three)

“Why is it that you have fallen on your face?”

God seemed to view Joshua’s posture of humility as a substitute for necessary critical thinking about important matters of moral responsibility. Joshua’s genuflection was a waste of Joshua’s energy and time when, instead, some attention and reflection on Joshua’s part would have made plain to him that he had failed to convey to his soldiers that violations of the ban were placing the nation in danger of spiritual and societal corruption. If total adherence was only a small thing in Joshua’s mind, his thinking would influence the troops to consider their excursions as a free-for-all, devoid of the sober-minded focus on righteous action. This perspective would eventually contaminate all Israel. God said, in effect, “Go do what you know you needed to do in the first place.” Unaddressed sin doesn’t fade away.

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 7:6-12, 20-21 (day two) So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? vs. 10

Can you imagine how Joshua must have felt? Things were moving in the right direction. Israel was finally getting to reap the promises of the Lord, and then to be routed in defeat for no discernible reason. It must have felt like a gut punch. Joshua knew enough to fall down and grieve their situation, but God was not calling for a season of inaction. He was expecting Joshua to act, on his behalf, to root out the cause of the sin. If Joshua had not be dialed into a relationship with the Lord, he would have missed the point of the defeat. Not every situation, fumble, sin, or problem has the same formula for fixing. The key is to be in a right relationship with the Lord. Sometimes we need to grieve, and sometimes we need to act. We shouldn’t treat every situation with some ‘universal’ fix other than to seek after God’s design.

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 5:13-15; 6:1-5 (day seven)

Growing up in a Christian home, I developed an affinity for an outrageous christian children’s show known as “Veggie Tales.” Possibly my favorite episode from this show was “Josh and the Big Wall!” Simply for entertainment purposes, I have provided a link to one of the scenes here.

What I love about this scene, is that it paints the picture of the absurdity of God’s command that we often glaze over in our familiarity to this passage. It was crazy. It was absurd. It was God. The only way to explain this victory is that God knocked down those walls.

Why then did He ask the Israelites to march with such strict orders and regiment? Couldn’t God have knocked down that wall the moment they arrived? Sure, but God invited Israel to partner with Him in this conquest. David Guzik says, “He wanted them to be a part of His work – as He wants us to be a part of His work today.”

God is still in the business of knocking down walls! Are you putting yourself in position to partner with Him so that you might be the vessel He uses to knock down another wall?

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 5:13-15; 6:1-5 (day six)

Joshua asked the most natural question, “Are you friend or foe?” And the commander of the Lord’s army gave an unlikely response, “Neither.”

For most, God is not loving unless he endorses their agenda, desires, and ambitions. God makes clear in this encounter that he only serves his own agenda. The question is never whether or not God is “friend or foe” but whether or not we are.

This story serves several purposes, but not least of which is establishing Joshua as a “friend of God”-just like Moses before him, even having his own burning bush experience.

How about you? Do you serve God’s agenda? Do you expect him to serve yours? Are you a friend or foe? Even Jesus said, “anyone who isn’t with me opposes me.” (Matt. 12:30)

Re:Verse passage – Joshua 5:13-15; 6:1-5 (day five) “Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭11‬.
It’s my favorite scripture about Joshua- being in the Tent of Meeting with Moses and the Lord. Moses leaves. The Lord stays. Joshua stays.
Ever been in a Bible Study or Worship Service when the presence of the Lord was so near and almost tangible?  Made you wanna stay so you didn’t miss anything the Lord might say or do?  That was the young person Joshua.
Decades later, same man (Joshua) same presence (Captain of the Lord’s Army) same response (Joshua falls face first and worships). There was something happening very familiar to Joshua. He knew what he must do. So, Joshua stops. Joshua stops scouting. Stops strategizing. Stops (literally falls down) and Worships.

The questions I should always ask myself, Am I quick to recognize the power and presence of the Lord? (Expected and unexpected- at church or at another place and time of His choosing). Am I submissive and humble enough to stop and worship?

Lord give us eyes to see and ears to hear- You- that we might be faithful to stop and worship and listen.