Trail to Hope

While I wouldn't discount entirely a link between the act and the subsequent falling of the walls, I think the principle behind it is the greater point here. God, through Joshua, is asking the Israelites to trust Him. There was no reason for them to think that circling the city once a day for a week would do anything to bring the walls down. There was no reason why they shouldn't have attempted a traditional siege and starved the residents out. But God told them He would give them into their hands, provided they followed His directions. And while His directions didn't make any sense to them, they followed His commands, and He gave them the victory.

This month I've been thinking a lot about Jericho. In some ways I see what we're doing in raising support as the same kind of obedience, circling the walls simply because that's what God has told us we're supposed to do right now. As hard as we might try to knock the wall down on our own, it has to be done in God's timing. We can't do it on our own. God often puts us through things that don't make any sense to us and require us to trust Him. This is a time where we're learning that He works in His ways, and they're always better and always on time.

And lately we've gotten the sense that we're in the victory lap, that's it's the seventh day, and we're making our seven circles around the walls. We've seen cracks forming - doors opening to churches, new supporters pledging, and small, everyday miracles - that have shown us that God is moving still. He's called us to this battle and has given us our orders; we can only obey and trust that He will carry out His promises.