And the Lord said to Joshua, "Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses." -Joshua 3:7
The Lord was telling Joshua that He was about to do something truly special for him. God told Joshua that He was going to so work in his life that the people would know beyond any doubt that Joshua was a trusted leader. I am trying to get my mind around the magnitude of such a blessing. God was going to so move and work in Joshua’s life that the people would have no reservations about looking to him for leadership. Understand that the only way God will entrust us with such a divine calling is if we are faithful. Had Joshua not been 100% committed to God, and then he would not have had this special blessing. Being a spiritual leader is a sacred challenge and a divine calling. It’s something that those in church leadership do well to take seriously.
But listen: God wasn’t doing this work in Joshua’s life in order to glorify Joshua. Rather, God was working in Joshua’s life that the people might glorify God. The Spirit of the Lord always moves and works in the hearts of the faithful. When we are faithful, we can expect a movement of God’s Spirit. Countless people miss out on God’s blessings because they don’t ever expect the Lord to do anything in their lives. Doesn’t the scripture have something to say about praying, asking, believing, and receiving? The answer is an emphatic yes. When we stop expecting to receive a blessing from the Lord, then can you imagine what happens? There’s a good chance we will miss out on the blessings the Lord wants to bestow upon us.
Fortunately for us, the Lord moves, works, and blesses despite ourselves. I cannot count the times when the Lord has done some amazing works and miracles in my life – and I was so spiritually blind that I nearly missed it. All I had to do was open my arms and the Lord dropped these blessing upon me – showered me with them! Jesus said that these blessings and spiritual power would work in our lives even if we had faith the size of a mustard seed. How much more when we have great faith – the kind that just gets warmed up by moving mountains? Joshua strikes me as a man who wouldn’t be contented with anything less than great faith – the kind that not only moves mountains, but also confronts anything that stands in the way of God’s will.
For me, that is the kind of faith I desire. It’s the kind of faith that does not cower in fear, but rather boldly confronts the enemy. That’s the kind of faith that faces down a king and says, “Let my people go.” It’s the sort of faith that blows trumpets and walls come tumbling down. That is faith that advances towards a mighty host of the enemy with a handful of men while shouting, “The sword of the Lord and the sword of Gideon,” and the enemy runs away in confusion. That is faith that empowers a teenage shepherd to confront a giant with a sling and a stone and by the power of God be victorious.
Are you getting a picture here? That is the same kind of faith available to you and me. We claim it through faith that does not waver and believes God – no matter what.
