When God Is Ready

“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.”

Joshua 6:5

Throughout my life I’ve faced many kinds of walls. They blocked me, slowed me down, and challenged me to grow in my faith. The process of standing and obeying God until they fell shaped me. The process always stretched me, but God eventually used those walls for something beautiful. And He’ll use the wall you’re facing today to do the same for you.

When the Israelites were facing the ominous walls of Jericho, the facts of the situation were bleak: the walls were high and thick and tightly shut. God’s perspective was different: He saw Jericho already delivered to His people. The promise was a done deal.

But Joshua and the people had to walk through a God-ordained seven-day process. During those seven days, they were to march around the city (Joshua 6). They were promised that they’d get to witness a miracle, when at their shout, God would bring the wall down. And that’s exactly how it happened.

When we take our eyes off God’s promises, all we see is a wall. But God is using that barrier to stretch us and shape us according to His purposes. That barrier will come down when He is ready. Our job is to keep marching, worshiping, and following Him, until He gives us the order to shout in celebration—when His promise is fulfilled!

God, thank You for the refining, shaping work You are doing. I believe You’ll make my wall fall down.