The task was impossible. The walls of the city of Jericho loomed some 50 feet high into the air. How would God ever fulfill his promise? The story of Joshua and the battle of Jericho is recorded in Joshua 6:1–21. I encourage you to check it out.
To get an understanding of just how high the city walls were, check out this YouTube video:
How would God fulfill his promise? God gives them the battle plan. He tells them to march around the city once a day for six days. Then the battle plan gets really crazy on the seventh day. God tells the people to march around the city seven times. After they had marched around the city seven times they blow their horns, they give a mighty shout, and the walls come tumbling down.
It doesn’t seem like much of a plan. If I was there I would have been thinking to myself that this would never work. There has to be something more practical we could do. I would be looking for battering rams and catapults. But God’s plans are not always our plans and in the end God wins a mighty victory.
Did God really need the people to march around the walls of the city? The answer is no. God could have made the walls of the city to fall at any point in time without the people circling the city. God is God and he will do what he will do. But the reason he wanted the people to march around the city was so they would be clear in their minds and hearts what they wanted God to do for them.
Hundreds of years later Jesus comes to the same city of Jericho. He encounters a blind man. He asks the blind man a most curious question. He asks, “what do you want me to do for you?” What do you think the blind man wanted Jesus to do? He’s a blind man. He wanted Jesus to heal him! Certainly, Jesus already knew the answer to the question. So why did he ask the question? It was so that the blind man would clearly know in his mind and heart what he wanted Jesus to do.
Prayer is a gift from God. Prayer is not so much about God. Prayer is about us. Prayer doesn’t change God. Prayer changes us. Prayer is about what God wants to do in us and through us.
God cannot answer a prayer that is not prayed. This is why God desires us to put words to the wishes and dreams of our hearts. When we put words to our prayers it gives us the opportunity to see God come through in mighty ways. That was why God had the people march around the walls of the city of Jericho. It was so that they would see what he would do. Answered prayer would build faith and confidence in them for the future battles they would face. It was why Jesus asked the blind man what the blind man wanted Jesus to do. It was so that the blind man would know that it was Jesus who healed him. There would be no room left for doubt.
Your Challenge
Your challenge this week is to give voice to what you want God to do for you. Take a Post-it note and write your prayer on it. Your prayer might be to get out of debt. Write it down and then stick your Post-it note on your checkbook. Your prayer might be for healing a physical illness. Write the prayer on the Post-it note and stick it on the medication you are taking. Make sure you post what you want God to do for you in a place where you will see it everyday. Then pray it every day for the next 7 days and see what God does with your request.
I have a prayer for God to use these words I am sharing to help others overcome challenges before them to serve God’s kingdom. I am praying for God to use our website to help people experience physical, emotional, and spiritual healing. I pray for people to live in hope and not despair because of the difference Jesus makes.
I am sticking that prayer on the monitor to my computer and I believe God will answer that prayer. If God fulfills that prayer through you, I would love to hear so in the comments below.
One final thing I want to say may be difficult to hear. Sometimes we need to tell God what we want him to do so that he can redirect us. Sometimes God needs to kill our dream so that he can open us up to a greater dream he has for us. What we may be asking from God is a small thing even though it seems big to us. God needs us to set aside our plans so that he can open us up to a bigger plan he has for us. But that will not happen until we tell him what we want him to do for us. Then he will show us a better way.
Daniel says
Great encouragement for prayer. In so many prayers we seem to be dictating what god does but in effect it changes our heart to listen more to him. Can’t agree more
Lisa says
I have struggled a lot lately even praying to God. Thank you for this devotional.
Michelle says
How appropriate that I opened this devotional today, just 2 days after starting The Circle Maker Bible Study, using the same Jericho story! I love how God gets my attention that way! I am two days into a 21 day prayer challenge, and He is changing me already. So excited to see what is next on my journey with God!