Last Sunday at church, the Lord spoke to me through the message of Joshua. I grew up hearing the story of Joshua. Yet that Sunday, I was struck differently by my pastor speaking of this story. It never hit me I guess or maybe it hit me in a new way because of the situation I’m in, but he took us to Joshua 1:2. “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them – to the Israelites.” PG was just talking about how God had to point out to Joshua that Moses was dead… he’s gone… he’s not coming back. Then God tells Joshua that it’s his turn to take over and do God’s work. The latter part of verse 5, God tells Joshua that he will never leave or forsake him. Even after saying this, the Lord went on to tell Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. I sensed the Lord speaking to me through this passage. P’s dead… he’s gone… he’s not coming back. Now you need to do what I have called you to do. I came home and studied the passage over again. The thing is after Deuteronomy, I had already started Joshua, but this passage passed as something I have read many a times. So after last Sunday I started over. I read chapter one over again.
To be honest, it’s been quite a ride since P’s death. Grieving was hard, but another thing that was hard was finding myself again. It’s so weird, how I really did live without P for 23 years of my life and only lived with him 3 years and four months, but I feel like P and E was going to me for the rest of my life or at least for the most part of the rest of my life. I think I not only was grieving, but in a sense also finding myself.
God’s been good to me. He’s been helping me dig deep into my heart… working with me through some things He wanted me to deal with… He’s helped me find where the world’s hunger meets my deepest JOY. He’s also helped me to realize that it doesn’t have to do anything with P. I don’t have to do anything that had to do with him in my future, it doesn’t have to be a problem in my heart. I have to take steps as E with our daughter A… I have to make plans with A’s interest in mind and that’s it. The Lord has been faithful in going before me and showing me what steps I need to take and just like He told Joshua that He will never leave him or forsake him, I really believe God is speaking those words to me. For God is the same yesterday, today and forever, and if He loved one of His children that much, why wouldn’t He love all His children this way?
Then I read on to chapter 2 of Joshua. What a testimony? Now two men goes into Jericho to spy on the city for the Israelites right? They go in just the two of them… then somehow everyone finds out and people are looking for them. Out of all people, they go into the house of a harlot named Rahab. But what gets me is that she has faith. She doesn’t know God, she hasn’t had an encounter with God, nor does it seem like she ever prayed to God, but she takes these men in and protects them. Then in verses 9-13 she says, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, HE is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
Isn’t this amazing? People were hearing about God and all that He has done for His people and although probably from day to day, Rahab did not worship and know God, but she knew that He was God (latter part of verse 11). And somehow she knew, maybe because of God’s reputation, that her land was going to go into their hands, so she pleads for her life, but not only hers, but the lives of her family members. That made me think of how in the New Testament, Jesus says, “you and your household will be saved”.
After I read that, I prayed that my life would do that for people. People will see my life and even though they do not know God personally, they would have heard and seen what He has done in my life and declare He is God, just like Rahab. I think that is a seed in itself that will grow over time, which can save a person and their household. What an amazing story…
I go back to Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever”. I hear stories here of how believers go into people’s houses and pray over people, casting out sicknesses and demons in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think of what faith really means… some people say that God meant for those miracles a part of the olden days and that for this time and age, He uses other methods. I wonder sometimes, if God is the same throughout time, why do we think that those miracles were just of the times of Jesus and the apostles? If Jesus is the same throughout time, why wouldn’t He, if we had faith, cast out sicknesses and demons like He did before? Is it God or us?
I personally think that we as believers need to start believing again. I mean God is powerful and He wants to be known. So when we step out of the boat and have faith that He will do this, I truly believe that sickness will go away and demons will flee when we call on the name Jesus Christ. I don’t think like haphazardly go around casting out demons, but to really call on the name of the Lord, with all our hearts and all our souls and all our strength. The Lord sees our heart… our faith only needs to be as small as mustard seed… it could move mountains. Come on people, let’s start moving mountains, I mean come on… He’s literally shaking up the world around us. Remember if we don’t think about a place, it could disappear… not really, but you know what I mean (from previous blog). People, nations need us all over the world!!! Let’s start believing again that He is able.
