If the Walls Could Talk

I was reading in Joshua 6:1 - 20 the other day. Oh... if those walls of Jericho could talk. You know, we are addicted to moving forward until we hit a wall. Sometimes we encounter life's circumstances and we feel we have hit a wall and are stuck. We can't move forward...in our finances...marriage...health..you fill in the blank.

Runners hit walls. Runners experience this when running a marathon. I wouldn't know, I've only done a 5K and everybody knows that doesn't count. There is a point, as it has been described to me, that everything on and in your body hurts, and you feel like you can't go on. I know the feeling but not with running.

Walls are barriers, walls are protectors. What do you do when you hit a wall? Sometimes God puts walls in our way to protect, to keep us out of trouble, to keep us safe. We know that when God says no, then He has something better for you. Our response to these walls? We have to change the path we are taking or we sit quietly and wait for God give us the next direction.

Cling to the promise. In the story of Jericho God gave Joshua this promise..."See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men." God begins with a promise of victory. Don't miss this...God already promised victory. When you hit your wall, God's promise is our lifeline. A promise is the very thing that we must cling to get to the other side of the walls. We don't get everything we want or what we pray for but we do get everything that God promises. The way to get to their future was to go through Jericho, clinging to God's promise of deliverance.

Don't freak out or meltdown. Now I don't know if there were any freak outs or meltdowns by Joshua, because those are not recorded, but i would guess there certainly had to be some questions. It didn't make sense, but they went with God's plan of marching around the walls once for six days in a row and then 7 times on the 7th day. It didn't make sense that they had to do it in silence either, and the priests were the only ones making noise. That would be hard to not say something back to the critics. It seemed as if they were crazy. From inside the walls those who are not hearing God's directions, it must have looked that way. God's direction must have felt like they were going around in circles.

Obedience responds. Silent persistent obedience. The Israelites obeyed God's direction and marched, without words. Then on the seventh day, when one would think that they couldn't take one more step, they did it anyway with horns a blastin'. And God brought the walls down. With Joshua's first big battle, fresh out of the box as a leader, why did God not allow any talking, only horns? It was so God would get the glory for walls coming down. Otherwise, one of them would have thought it was something they said. Don't miss this....he required silent persistent obedience for a reason...no words, so God could display His greatness.

When you hit the wall of your life this week, or next, obedience is what God requires of us. Even when obedience doesn't make sense. Only God can bring walls down. Silent persistent obedience. Cling to His promises. Obedience will lead you to victory, past the walls, and they will come tumbling down in God's time. Even when it doesn't make sense and he says "no talking".

And then blow your trumpet and watch God work. What wall have you hit?