He'll Make It Happen

Joshua 6:1-5 New International Version (NIV)

6 Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

2 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men. 3 March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. 4 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. 5 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.”

Last week we talked about what if God didn't do what you were expecting Him to do when you expected him to do it. Sometimes it's not that He wasn't going to do it. It's that He needs your cooperation. In the verses above, God told Joshua what He was going to give him, and He gave him specific instructions. He didn't say, "Look either way if you listen to me or not, I'm going to give you Jericho." We have to listen to Him. 

I'm not sure how many of y'all have children. My friend and I were talking about how his son acts up in school, but my friend still wants to do fun things with him, but now he has to find that balance because he doesn't want to reward bad behavior, especially when his son knows better. God looks at us the same way.  The Bible says 

Jeremiah 29:11 King James Version (KJV)

11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

God wants to do good things for you because He loves you but you have to be obedient. Why would He reward disobedience. His word says :

1 Samuel 15:22 Amplified Bible (AMP)

22 Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
As in obedience to the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.

It doesn't matter what you want to give Him. You need to be obedient. That's His love language. 

John 14:15 King James Version (KJV)

15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

There's nothing more valuable to Him than your obedience. It shows that you trust Him no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Joshua and his army was not expecting the walls to fall the way they did from just marching around the walls, but they had to trust God and know that He is not a man that He shall lie. 

Trusting God when you don't see what He is doing is hard, especially when you know what the result is going to be. You expect Him to take a certain path, and that's not always what He's going to do. 

It's like God tells you He's going to give you a new car. So you say "okay well God I'm going to work on my credit and try to get a better job and save up a good down payment." God doesn't need all of that, He just needs you to be in place and follow directions. That's when He shows up and shows out. 

What if Joshua and his army would've done what they wanted to do instead of just doing what God said. That could've went left really quick. Just be obedient. It's notes but it'll make your journey easier.