Corona Devo 528

The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land as our homeland when the Lord has blessed us with so many people?”

(15) Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you, and if the hill country of Ephraim is not large enough for you, clear out land for yourselves in the forest where the Perizzites and Rephaites live.”

(16) The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots, both those in Beth-shan and its surrounding settlements and those in the valley of Jezreel. They are too strong for us.”

(17) Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. (18) The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.”  ~Joshua 17:14-18

...Then Joshua asked them, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you? .  ~Joshua 18:3

If you are wondering what in the world these verses have to do with us, hang with me.  And I can't be sure that the Lord is/will use them to speak to you about moving forward with plans or a promise that He has put in front of you, but they sure gave me a spiritual kick in the butt. 

These verses dial us back in time to when the Israelites had maintained passage into the Promised Land, and they were dividing up their portions according to tribe and inheritance.  God had promised it to them, and it was time to move.

Times haven't changed all that much.  Even though the Israelites (God's people) were inheriting a blessing and promise from God...they were whining. 

The descendants of Joseph came to Joshua and asked, “Why have you given us only one portion of land...” ~Joshua 17:14

We (sometimes) whine right in the middle of God's blessings and promises too.

(Here's where the correlation of Old Testament scripture gets personal for me, and I pray that God's Word connects with a current scenario occurring for you too:)

I've found myself fretting over the world and the future more and more lately.  What can we do? 

And then in a quiet moment (of prayer) an idea popped in my head: joining with others to pray.  Prayer can change things, and more importantly, prayer can change us.

I was in. 

But then...I was out, or delayed, or distracted, or deterred, or afraid of moving forward..and in all this I whined to God about how all of the details would look.

How to get going?  When to meet?  What format?   Where?   Whine, whine, whine.  And in effect...I delayed God's plan for prayer.

Some time passed, and I got encouraged again.  Let's get together to pray!

The Israelites gained momentum again too.  Joshua gave them a plan and the go-ahead:

Joshua replied, “If there are so many of you...clear out land for yourselves in the forest...” (Joshua 17:15).

Clear out land for yourselves. If we are feeling a brokenness within ourselves, and seeing the effects of it in the world and in our "little world",  then let's move forward on the thing God has whispered to our heart to combat it.  (In my case, it was community prayer.) 

"Clear out land for yourselves" today.  Start the process.  Make the plans, invite the people and set some dates.  MOVE! 

And so I did.  I made progress, I cleared out some land.  I was in. 

But then...I was out, or delayed, or distracted, or deterred, or afraid of moving forward...and in all this I whined (again) to God, just as the Isrealites did.

The descendants of Joseph responded, “It’s true that the hill country is not large enough for us. But all the Canaanites in the lowlands have iron chariots... They are too strong for us.” ~Joshua 17:16)

Oh, the iron chariots that block our mental and spiritual progress.  There will always be an iron chariot attempting to intimidate us or God's plan for us.

But God ordains the plan and sometimes He even spoon-feeds it to us if we need it.  The Israelites needed it, and so Then Joshua said to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, the descendants of Joseph, “Since you are so large and strong, you will be given more than one portion. (18) The forests of the hill country will be yours as well. Clear as much of the land as you wish, and take possession of its farthest corners. And you will drive out the Canaanites from the valleys, too, even though they are strong and have iron chariots.” (Joshua 17:17-18). 

Joshua pretty much charted it out for them and assured them that it would all work out.

Apparently I needed to be spoon-fed and led just like the whiney Israelites.  The "prayer" idea was on my mind, but I wasn't moving forward with any plans.  (Delayed obedience is disobedience.)  Then Joshua, I mean a good friend called me and said that she was feeling a burden on her heart to join with others to pray.  She narrated my heaviness in "feeling the weight of the world" on her spirit and shoulders, and said she wanted to connect with others to pray for our Nation, our kids, our families, our world and our faith.  She was having a prayer meeting at her house next week--would I come? 

I was in.

Sometimes God has to make His plans so simple that we can't miss them.  We can't whine ourselves out of them, and we can't delay obeying any longer.  

The most convicting part of these verses is when Joshua asked the men, who had been promised the land and the victory in conquering it, “How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?" (Joshua 18:3).

How long was I going to wait?

How long are you going to wait?

I may have needed a kick in the pants to get going, but I (finally) read God's writing on the wall, especially when He put it in such large print for me. The first prayer gathering was planned out for me, and there will be more. 

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.  ~2 Chronicles 7:14

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com