Corona Devo 507

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all your fighting men and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land. ² You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king...Set an ambush behind the town.”  ~Joshua 8:1-2

We cannot begin a mission, fight a battle, or possibly expect to triumph over an encounter if we have devised the battle plan by ourselves.  God is our Supreme Commander.  He alone ordains victory and defeat (and He provides lessons and teaching in both), but we must await (and seek) His plan of offense.

Joshua had attempted an attack on this city once before and it failed.  But that was because Joshua had moved forward in his own strength and thinking.  God had not given him the go-ahead or an outline-for-attack.  And when we enter situations led by our own will and we are not led by the Lord, we will meet defeat too. 

We recently enjoyed a great vacation, but the month preceding it was initially wrought with stress and worry.  The “plans” weren’t coming together, specifically for our flights.  Multiple connections had us flying/traveling over 24 hours with multiple connecting stops as out-of-the-way as Florida on our way to Arizona.  Not only would we be traveling with children, but grandparents in their 70’s also.  We were a little afraid and a lot discouraged (Joshua 8:1).  

Joshua was exasperated by the intimidation of his "plans" too:

Joshua and the elders of Israel tore their clothing in dismay, threw dust on their heads, and bowed face down to the ground before the Ark of the Lord until evening. ⁷Then Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! ~Joshua 7:6-7

As we neared vacation, we were close to "tearing our clothing in dismay" and "throwing dust on our heads" (Joshua 7:6) because continued flight changes and added connections had now elongated our "travel days" and shortened the time at our destination.  

Just as Joshua cried out, “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River if you are going to let the Amorites kill us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side! (Joshua 7:7)...

We were thinking, "O Sovereign Lord, why did you give us these plane tickets if it's going to be such a mess to utilize them?  If only we had been content to stay at home..."

Like Joshua, we initially “tried to attack” in our own strength by reviewing flight options and checking alternate airports, and as we did, the stress mounted and the flights seemed to get worse. 

Then, (like Joshua) we fell on our faces (Joshua and the elders of Israel...bowed face down to the ground... Joshua 7:6) and invited God to be the “General Commander” of our journey. 

After seeking Him, God gave Joshua the outcome and the encouragement to enter the battle.  God even gave Joshua the winning tactic to achieve victory: "Set an ambush behind the town" (Joshua 8:2). 

Once Joshua had God's "game plan", the details of how to make it happen were feathers that were already in his military cap.  He had just needed God's end-game blessing.

³ So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack (the city of) Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors and sent them out at night ⁴ with these orders: “Hide in ambush close behind the town and be ready for action. ⁵ When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out to fight as they did before, and we will run away from them. ⁶ We will let them chase us until we have drawn them away from the town. For they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ Then, while we are running from them, ⁷ you will jump up from your ambush and take possession of the town, for the Lord your God will give it to you.  ~Joshua 8:3-7

To make a long story short: Joshua's ambush worked perfectly, and they had a complete victory over the city of Ai.  

But of course they did.  They inquired of the Lord (after spinning their own wheels and getting burned), and when they finally sought God, He was found by them.  (You will seek me and you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:13).

When we finally sought God's authority and blessing over our vacation flights, we found Him too.  

But: a note to the Christ-follower, God is not a magician who waves a wand when we ask for something.  We spent specific and daily time in prayer for His will and guidance.  And it didn't happen overnight.  It took time.  It took patience.  And it took faith.  But, it came.  God will not leave us stranded (ever), but His timetable is much different than ours.  I think that is part of His "endgame" plan for us.  Because the process in between our prayers and the outcome is called faith.  

It's a very uncomfortable place to be, if I'm honest. 

But once we had grasped God's "game plan", the details of how to make it happen were feathers that were already in my husband's trip-planning cap.  He had just needed God's end-game blessing. 

If Joshua hadn't first attacked Ai on his own and gotten beaten, his joy wouldn't have been as deep when they conquered the city once he had sought God's plan.

And only because we had scrambled and worried so much on our own (initially) about the vacation flights, did the peace and confidence of Christ feel so good and comforting as we stepped onto our plane and into a vacation that was His game plan.  

We can't begin a mission, fight a battle, or possibly expect to triumph over an encounter if we have devised the battle plan by ourselves.  God alone ordains victory, defeat, and sometimes flight itineraries.  

And the process in between is called faith.

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com