Following God doesn't always look the way we thought it would. Today I was reading Joshua 6, and the story basically is about how this hero Joshua leads his people to a crushing (literally) defeat of Jericho. Now there is a slight twist in this story, Joshua's people didn't fight or use any tools/ weapons to get into the impenetrable city.
Jericho was the biggest baddest place around, it had huge walls and no one was aloud in or out. God came to Joshua and told him that he would defeat Jericho, but it was in an unusual way. God actually asked Joshua to walk around the city every day for six days, then on the seventh day walk around the city seven times and scream. Then, the angel of the Lord said the city will crumble and be yours.
Now if I was receiving these instructions I would probably laugh. God, how can walking destroy a city? How can screaming tear down brick walls? Joshua didn't ask any questions though, he was obedient without the "how".
I feel like God has called me to some amazing things like International Justice Mission (IJM) and law school, but I can't see the how. I feel like God is asking me to just walk in circles for no reason. I don't understand why this is happening or how things can get done without me making things happen.
If I was in Joshua's army I would worry that I wasn't doing enough. If God really told us we would take Jericho than we should start striking the wall with weapons and fighting till the last breath to get to where God wants us to be, but that would still be doing things my way.
I try to listen to God and as soon as I hear the first thing he wants me to do, I do it full strength. I think God loves that about our faith when we are willing to do everything to get to his plan for us, but we also need to remember it is still His plan. Law school and an internship in DC was never a part of my plan, so when God let me in on the secret I started planning how I would do what God wants for me.Don't get me wrong, it is great to dream, but we also need to be obedient when God is asking us to do little things that may not make an instant impact on our dreams.
Joshua walked around the wall for six days, I wonder if he was looking for a crack in the wall with every step he took. I wonder if he wanted God to explain how walking could contribute to the demise of a city. Maybe each step put pressure on some platelet underneath the city and the magnetic force would.... or maybe God just wanted Joshua to be obedient and show both armies His power.
Right now I am in my "six days". I feel like God has called me to a Jericho but I can't get inside the walls yet. I worry about the finances and where I will live, I worry about the applications and the personal statements, but the truth is I can't do this my way. I need to listen to what God is asking me to do. I still need to take action, but the action might be waiting and praying for God to do a miracle.
God has called all of us to amazing things and he knows the best way for us to reach what we are looking for. We just need to surrender our ways to God. Even if that means walking for a while and seeing no progress, we never know when the day will come when God will tell us to scream and the walls will fall down.
