Advent DevotionalSample

The Story of Joshua

Joshua, the courageous leader who succeeded Moses, took up the mantle to lead Israel to the Promised Land. The journey was marked with obstacles, specifically the looming walls of Jericho. God’s way of delivering Jericho into their hands was an unusual one: no weapons or battle lines; just the Ark of the Covenant, priests wielding horns, and a steady march around the city walls 13 times. Through trust, obedience, worship, and divine deliverance Jericho’s walls fell!

Let’s go back to Joshua and his army walking around Jericho. The idea of walking around your problems to make them go away is pretty odd. You can’t walk around a flat tire to make it fill with air again, or have your family and friends walk around you to make an illness go away. But that’s what God told Joshua to do! As impossible as it seemed, Joshua did it—and not to test God, but because he trusted God. God can—and will—ask us to do some crazy things, or things that just don’t make sense in a moment, or simply things we don’t want to do. But we obey out of our love and trust for God.

Reflect

Where is God asking you to trust Him? How can you do that right now, tomorrow, and all the days to come?

Pray

God, would You help me remember that Your ways are always better, that I can trust You—even when nothing makes sense to me! Would You help me to surrender control and seek You and Your ways instead of my own. In Jesus’ name, Amen.