oh the waiting, but oh the blessing

Joshua 14

"So the land was distributed in strict accordance with the Lord's commands to Moses" 14:5

Joshua continued to follow the instructions from the Lord on dividing the land that had been conquered. He followed the Lord's commands precisely. He didn't "almost" do anything, he did everything exactly as he was told. When we think "almost" is close enough, we are really just following God's word until it gets hard, then we ignore the rest and completely miss the mark. God is looking for people, like Joshua, who obey AND follow through precisely.

Partial obedience is still disobedience.

"My companions who went with me discouraged the people, but I stuck to my guns, totally with God. That was the day Moses solemnly promised, 'The land on which your feet have walked will be your inheritance, you and your children's, forever. You have lived totally for God.' Now look at me: God has kept me a live, as he promised." 14:8-9

Caleb was faithful all his life. Remember - he was one of the first to cross the Jordan and scout out what was on the other side - he got to see the Promised Land before anyone else! Because he was chosen, faithful, honest, and committed, God promised him a personal inheritance of the land, even though he had to wait 45 years to receive it. During these 45 years, I wonder how many times he was tempted to stop believing and waiting for it. How many times he doubted that God would really fulfill that promise to him. How many times he wanted to go off and find his own land. But, he remained unwavering. He remained faithful to serve the Lord and wait on the promise. He remained solid, strong and secure in the heart of God.

"So Joshua blessed Caleb and gave to him his portion of the land." 14:13

This. Promise. Fulfilled. 45 years later.

Caleb knew it was worth waiting for, even though that wait was long and tiring and often so discouraging.

I have my own list of things the Lord has promised me, that I am waiting for.

I also have a list of things that he promised me, that He has already fulfilled.

No ear heard, no eye seen, a God like you
who works for those who wait for him.

our role, his glory

Joshua 13

"When Joshua had reached a venerable age, God said to him, 'You've had a good, long life, but there is a lot of land still to be taken." 13:1

Joshua was somewhere between the ages of 85 and 100 at this point, yet the Lord was still using him to do work for the kingdom. He had a life that equipped him with wisdom and experience to continue serving God. As a believer, we are never allowed to "retire" from serving the Lord, and age does not disqualify us from being an effective leader and servant. I pray that if I live to be 85 or 100, God will still be using me to bring lost people to Him. I hope my last day serving Him on earth is spent being exhausted from loving other people for His glory and that He will say to me "you have had a good life."

"I myself will drive them out before the People of Israel. All you have to do is allot this land to Israel as an inheritance, as I have, instructed you. Do it now. Allot this land as an inheritance to the nine tribes and the half-tribe of Manasseh." 13:6-7

Joshua knew his time was coming to an end on earth, but he was not going to stop fighting for the entire Promised Land. The beauty of what God said to him is: I will do the hard work, you just get to play a part in it. There was much more land yet to be conquered, but God planned ahead (doesn't He always) to include the division of each tribe within it. God's desire was that the whole land would be conquered for Him. He knows the future, and already knows the victories that are ahead of us. Yet, they still had to fight for them. He goes ahead of us and does all the work, we just get to be part of the victory.

I read this and it has rested deeply in my heart:

What are your unconquered lands? They may be overseas missionary territories, new languages in which to translate the Bible, new missionary areas in your neighborhood, groups that need redemptive work, unchallenged ethical issues, unconfessed sin in your life, or underdeveloped talents and resources. What territory has God give you to conquer? Our inheritance will be a new heaven and earth, if we fulfill the mission God has given us to do.

Something we say downtown is, "We don't have to, we GET to." God doesn't force us to do anything, He lets us choose, and when we choose to fight with Him, it is the biggest honor we could ever receive.

This is one of the beautiful young ladies I GET to walk through life with. We had a birthday dinner for her Friday night to celebrate her turning 14. It is a joy and honor to be a part of she and her families life. And we don't call her "Precious" for no reason!

a picture of victory

Joshua 12

"In all, thirty-one kings were defeated."

After the 7 years following the crossing of the Jordan, this is where Joshua ended up - with victory over the entire region. He conquered a land span that included 31 kings and kingdoms. His patient, brilliant, strategic plan all came from the Lord. Every victory was a result of obedience His King.

As I read through this and studied the map of the territory, I saw the map of Midtown in my mind. I placed the two maps side by side and was in awe of how similar they were to each other. More so than that, I realized that there were 31 streets in the Midtown borders. Now, I don't know if anyone else in the world would consider this, or even think about these things, but the Lord made them apparent to me for a reason!

Joshua covered the entire region in 7 (number of completion, perfection) years - 31 kings. A lot of land, a lot of people. That victory he received came from defeating the armies of his enemies. God is calling me to cover this same number of streets, and if it takes me 7 years to defeat every army (remember we are fighting a spiritual war) of the enemy up and down all these streets, I will stand that ground with great honor fight to completion.

I have met and started building relationships with people on just about every street in Midtown. Every week I meet someone new, on a new street. I am so ready to see this house completed so I can live in the middle of this battle ground and have more intentional time covering these 31 streets!

waiting and resting

Joshua 11

"Joshua killed all the kings of those territories, waging war for a long time to accomplish this." 11:18

This one verse has been marinating within me for quite some time. When I read about the Lord's conquest over much of Canaan, it seems to have happened pretty fast - I can read about it in 10 minutes! But reality is, it took Joshua SEVEN years to accomplish this much victory.

I like quick changes. I like to see progress. I like things to happen on my time. But our journey through this process is a lifelong process. It is easy to grow impatient with God and feel like giving up, or moving on without him, because we think He is moving to slow. Truth is, we should always be walking one step behind Him. When we are close to a situation, it is difficult to see progress, but when we look back on the other side, we can see that God never stopped walking ahead.

If Joshua had given up or decided he would try to do it his way instead, he would have missed every little thing the Lord had for him along the way. It is easy to focus so much on the big promise, that you miss all the other promises right in front of you that He has, right now.

"So Joshua took control of the entire land, just as the Lord had instructed Moses. He gave it to the people of Israel as their special possession, dividing the land among the tribes. So the land finally had rest from war." 11:23

Joshua waited on the Lord for every thing. He stayed one step behind the Lord through the entire journey. How did that end for him?

So the land finally had rest from war.

The Lord is constantly teaching me to wait, rest, learn. Waiting not just for things to happen that I am praying for, but waiting on Him to speak to me, teach me, lead me. As I sit with Him and wait, I know that rest will come.