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Hey Fam!
This week’s blog post comes from something God showed me during my quiet time while reading Joshua 8.
If y’all aren’t familiar with this passage, that’s okay-I'll explain it to you. This story happened right after “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho” (chapters 6-7). Chapter 8 tells the story of Israel’s second fight against the city of Ai.
In the first battle against Ai, the Israelites lost miserably. A man named Achan from the tribe of Judah had kept some gold and silver from the city of Jericho that was supposed to be given to the LORD’s treasury. The LORD did not give the victory to Israel in the first battle because Achan had sinned and stolen from the LORD.
For the second battle, Joshua brought out some tricky battle maneuvers. Here’s what happened: Israel pretended to flee from Ai as before and the warriors of Ai chased the Israelites, leaving their city unguarded.
At this point in the story, we come to verse 18, “Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.’ So Joshua held out his javelin toward it”.
Joshua had left 30,000 of his best warriors to hide in ambush so that when Ai’s army left the city unguarded, his warriors could set fire to the city and then attack the army of Ai from the rear. It was a fool-proof plan, and Joshua could have easily relied on the strength of his armies, but instead, he chose to listen to the LORD’s words. The warriors, who were still lying in ambush, saw Joshua holding out his spear and took that as the signal to attack. The Israelite warriors set fire to the city and then attacked the armies of Ai from behind.
Verses 25 and 26 say, “The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand - all the people of Ai. Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed”.
Joshua was holding tight to God’s promise, and his spear, which was held pointing toward the city until every last soldier and town person of Ai had died. It would have become tiring and painful to hold out a heavy spear for the entirety of a battle. But, even in circumstances of pain, Joshua held onto God’s promise that Israel would defeat Ai. I want you to know that when God tells you something, His word is as good as a promise.
Right now, it might seem like God doesn’t care about you as we are all isolated at home. You may feel alone and forgotten, but let me remind you that God NEVER forgets about you. I know this because God promises us that He will never forget about you.
Isaiah 41:9-10:
I brought you from the ends of the earth and called you from its farthest corners. I said to you: You are my servant; I have chosen you; I haven’t rejected you (forgotten about you). Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous right hand.
All of these things a PROMISES from God. You do not need to fear your current situation because God chose YOU to be his son or daughter.
God has not rejected you.
God promises to be with YOU.
God is powerful; He is the LORD (Yahweh).
God promises to strengthen YOU.
God promises to help YOU.
God promises to hold YOU up.
Let's use a little bit of logic here for a second. God cannot be both with you and far away from you. God cannot hold you up without being near to you. That means that GOD IS WITH YOU. He is not distant, and He promises to do as He said.
Claim these promises over your life. Say this promise to yourself over and over (out loud or in your head) when you are afraid and worried. When your friends and family members tell you their worries and fears, say this verse aloud to them. No matter how hard it is, hold on tightly to this “spear”. Never let go of this truth. Let it be your anthem through this storm.
Please reach out to us at our email (thejoysblog@gmail.com) or Instagram (@thejoysblog). We would love to know how we can best pray for you! Let us know if you learned anything from this post and how God is working in your life. I pray that you hold on tightly to this promise from the LORD.