Verse of the Day 2/12

 

Joshua 6:20  So the people shouted, and the trumpets were blown. As soon as the people heard the sound of the trumpet, the people shouted a great shout, and the wall fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they captured the city.  English Standard Version (ESV)

 

My friend Jim and I work with the11th grade boys in our youth group.  We've worked since middle school and it has been fun and rewarding to see them grow physically and spiritually over the last few years.  They have fun and have a lot of energy.

 

I recently read this passage in Joshua 6 and the experiences with them made me think of some of the young men that were in Joshua's army.  Some of them were probably around the same age as our guys.  I could picture it being hard for them to keep silent as Joshua commanded as they marched around the city, once a day for 6 days and then 7 times on the 7th day.  I can just imagine what some of them must have thought, in today's language it may have been "this is lame" or "I can't believe we have to do this".  But they obeyed and  I'm sure these thoughts and emotions changed as they finished the last lap and the trumpets blasted, the people shouted and the walls came down.

 

I can imagine one of the boys going back to his tent that evening and writing a praise song.  Again, in today's language it may have sounded something like this as written by Rich Mullins.

 

Our God is an awesome God,

He reigns in heaven above,

With wisdom, power and love,

Our God is an awesome God.

 

What kind of walls may we our our youth be facing today?  God's ways, His call and challenge to face them in faith may seem lame or unusual to us at times, but what will happen if we seek and obey Him in faith?  What songs of praise would we be able to sing when the day is done?

 

Continue to pray for our youth, for the next generation, to be faithful and to be able to say from experience "Our God is an Awesome God".

 

In Christ,
Mike

 

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Eph 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace  NIV

Joshua 6:19-21

The Message (MSG)

^18-19 "As for you, watch yourselves in the city under holy curse. Be careful that you don't covet anything in it and take something that's cursed, endangering the camp of Israel with the curse and making trouble for everyone. All silver and gold, all vessels of bronze and iron are holy to God. Put them in God's treasury."

²⁰ The priests blew the trumpets.

When the people heard the blast of the trumpets, they gave a thunderclap shout. The wall fell at once. The people rushed straight into the city and took it.