Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Every Place You Set Your Foot, Prayer Walking Series: Day 18—Waiting



March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse and the army will go up, everyone straight in.”
Joshua 6:3-5

This took incredible patience and self-control on the Israelites' part. Neither virtue is easy to come by. Imagine how revved up the fighting men were, only to be told to march around the city once a day and go back to camp. No posturing, no threats shouted at the people watching from the walls, no taking potshots at easy targets.

I’d also be willing to bet the people of Jericho, who were terrified at first, started to get bold after a few days of this bizarre behavior. Did they taunt the warriors? Throw rotten fruit at them? Try to bait them into a fight?

And as they marched, the Israelites studied the walls—four stories high, built on mounded earth, and thick enough to have houses built into them. Rahab’s house was located in the wall of the city. The Israelites knew they couldn’t break through those walls by their own strength. Did they begin to wonder about God’s battle plan?

But they kept marching—the priests with the ark of God carrying trumpets and horns, and the warriors—eerily silent. But on the seventh day they made seven laps around the city. This was a game changer. The people of Jericho and the Israelites knew something was going to happen. That’s when everything broke loose.

The trumpets blasted, the warriors shouted, and the walls crumbled. God’s battle plan showed His own people and the people of Jericho that He was in charge.  The only One with enough power to defeat any foe and break down any wall.

How long are you willing to wait for the walls to crumble around the one you’re praying for? Is it hard to stay quiet? All this marching (praying) day after day is enough to drive you crazy! And the more you look at the height and thickness of the walls they’ve built against God, the more you’re tempted to despair. But keep marching. Keep praying. Keep following God’s lead and wait for His command. And when He says, “Go!” go with confidence He will clear the way.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21

#breakthrough #wallscametumblingdown #Jericho #dontgiveup #prayerwalking #spiritualwarfare #claimingterritory #halloween #AllSaintsDay #Joshua6  #Rom12:21

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