Like Joshua, Trust God Whole-Heartedly
By Marjorie Foerster Eddington
Biblical Background
Joshua was Moses' right-hand man. When Moses sent out 12 men to spy out the Promised Land, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who had confidence in God that they could take the land. The others thought that the enemy was just too powerful. After Moses, Joshua became the leader of the children of Israel. He trusted wholeheartedly in God and led his people to victory in many battles.
Some of the ways Joshua made a difference:
- Refusing to be swayed by others' opinions when
they checked out the Promised Land;
- Walking over the Jordan River on dry ground to
lead the Israelites to the Promised Land (much like
Moses parting the sea);
- Conquering Jericho (the enemy) by marching around
the city walls and blowing on trumpets and shouting
(not trying to knock it down with weapons);
- Commanding the sun to stand still, enabling the
Israelites to defeat their enemies at Gibeon.
Conquering Jericho required unity and teamwork. For 6 days they marched around the wall once each day. On the 7th day, they marched around 7 times; and on the 7th time around, they all shouted when they heard the sound of the trumpets. The wall fell down.
You can make a difference:
- Work for the good of the team:
- If you are on a sports team, cheerleading squad,
in a theatre production, or a dance company, in
a school club, a group in class, or anything that
requires working with others, take an active role
in creating unity.
- If no one is leading, become a leader. Take the
initiative to help inspire others, and look for
ways to unify.
- If there are conflicts, be courageous enough to
find effective solutions. This could mean talking
to those involved, finding a completely different
answer, talking with an adult. It always means listening
to God.
- If you are a follower, then follow well. Be willing
to yield up your own opinion. There will be times
when you think you are right (and you might be),
but the majority will want to do something else.
Be willing to go along with the majority (so long
as it's not dangerous or illegal). The "right"
will ultimately prevail. And if you are wrong, you
won't look foolish for having clung to your opinions
so doggedly.
- Listen to whomever is in charge. And when things
get difficult, remember who is ultimately in charge
-- God.
- Trust in the principles God has established:
- Ask yourself: "Do I have the same trust in
God that these Israelites had?" They walked
around the wall as Joshua commanded because they
trusted. They may not have understood the details
of the siege on Jericho or how exactly marching
and yelling could tear down a wall, but they still
did it.
- You can trust in what God is telling you to do
and obey His commands, even if you're not quite
sure how everything is going to work out.
- Be an individual who stands for principle:
- You'll have an opportunity on Halloween to stand
for principle.
- A lot of people, maybe even some of your friends,
may want to play practical jokes that actually hurt
others (like egging cars, which ruins the paint
and costs lots of money to have refinished; or smashing
pumpkins in driveways; or toilet papering houses
or trees, which takes tons of time to remove). You
can stop such mindless pranks. You can be a voice
for reason.
- The invitation to attend parties where there will
be lots of drugs and drinking is quite possible.
Do you really want to be in such an environment?
Will you actually be able to make the atmosphere
better by your presence? If you can keep your integrity
and help others gain a greater sense of respect,
then you will have done a great service by going
to the party. If your presence won't change anything
for the better, then you probably don't need to
go, even though your friends are going. In fact,
your absence might speak louder than your presence.
Enjoy being a team player, a leader, a follower, an individual who trusts in God and who stands for principle. |
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