Victory’s Battle Cry-A Study in Joshua—Part 5; Wait upon the Lord
Isaiah 40: “31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”
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Waiting, patience sound so simple; yet, the performance is so much harder. How often have I heard God’s promises or heard Him command me to obey with the promise that He has everything worked? Then, I obey and things appear to get worse for a while. What do I do then? Do I keep on believing or do I throw in the towel because of my inability to wait and stand firm on God’s plan? True faith is demonstrated best when I am willing to wait, standing firm upon the truth of who God is and not waiver because of the way things look at this moment. It is also important to learn how to patiently, calmly wait for God to clear the path ahead before running ahead. I have often taken off running when I heard God say go only to fall deep in the river in front of me because I did not wait for
God to build the bridge. We must never lag too far behind when God gives a command nor should we run ahead of God either. That has been a problem for me; sometimes trying in my own strength to over stretch my obligations and hence failing to wait for God to provide the means for accomplishing what He has planned. My other great failure has been to over think a relationship. What God has meant for friendship and opportunities to witness I have mistaken in the past for love, which always ended in my heart breaking just a little.
With that introduction, let us now look at the Children of Israel. They were impatient at Mount Sinai for Moses to return with God’s Words for them, so they built an idol to worship. They were impatient and grumbling about their provisions, instead of realizing the bigger picture of what God was doing. They wanted the Promised Land NOW; but ultimately were left wandering in the desert instead due to their failure in faith. Now the younger generation was standing near the banks of the Jordan River. They believed that God was going to give them the land, so why not run head on into the raging waters of the river and trust God to lead them across? Instead they are instructed to wait until the priests bearing the ark of the Covenant went before them. They were to also keep their distance from the ark so they would not lose their way. They had to stay behind and let God lead the way, no matter what. Read the passage.
Joshua 3: (NIV) 2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits[a]between you and the ark; do not go near it.”
And what happened? By this time, they had learned to wait on God. Until God says move; best plan is to stand still. So, God held back the river in a wall of water. This time it wasn’t a sea which could be calm. This time it was a raging river in springtime when the waters rushed down from the mountains around and the force was like that of a rapids. No problem for God, one word from Him and the rushing water stood still on itself until the Israelite nation had crossed over the Jordan. The priests stood in the midst of the Jordan River holding the Ark of the Covenant until all had passed over and then the Ark crossed over. What an amazing thought, God goes before us and He also protects us from behind at the same time.
A lifetime is but a fleeting second compared to eternity. A lesson I learned, much like Abraham when he was awaiting the birth of his son with Sarah or Joseph when he was awaiting God’s promise to make Joseph a leader and a protector for his brethren. The longer I have had to wait for a promise to come true, the more spectacular the joy that results from its fulfillment. I have seen that truth displayed in my life over and over again. Most spectacularly, I have seen that truth demonstrated these past two years. I watched in awe as God began to fulfill the promises whispered to me 34 years ago. He had asked me to trust and to wait. Despite my moments of confusion, doubt, and impatience; He remained faithful. I am so glad I obeyed; but, I know it was His Grace that caused me to even obey because on my own—I would never have known how to trust Him as I should.
So what promise are you waiting for today?
So Let’s sing Everlasting God with Chris Tomlin as we wait upon the Lord.
New International Version (NIV)
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© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba
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