Facing Life’s Obstacles

“Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days. Also seven priests shall carry seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark; then on the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. It shall be that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people will go up every man straight ahead.’” Joshua 6:1-5

Each of us has faced obstacles in life that seemed overwhelming. When the nation of Israel came to the city of Jericho, God gave the people one objective and that was to remain firmly focused on Him and His Word. They were not to calculate the fortification of the city walls, the aggressiveness of the inhabitants, or the numerous enemies living within the land. Nor were they to view the conquest of Jericho in light of their own strength.

One reason God commanded them to circle the walls in silence was to maintain their focus. The more we talk about and calculate the outcome of a situation, the less likely we are to follow God in faithful obedience. Jericho was a divinely planned obstacle. The outcome of the battle would bring glory to God and provide conclusive evidence to Israel that He was doing exactly what He had promised He would do.

Every single obstacle you face is subject to the supernatural power of God. So don’t allow your vision to be narrowed to the obstacle. Instead, learn to view it from the background of His power and infinite resources.