Final Steps of Preparation

Day one hundred seventy

I would like to take a minute and wish my dad a Happy Father's Day! Over the years I have come to realize that  I have not always shown the gratitude I should when it comes to my father.  My relationship with him was strained when I was younger, we both know exactly how to push each others buttons and often butted heads.  But over the years I have come to realize that too often I have been too hard on him.  I should have been less judgmental and more forgiving.  In spite of all our difficulties I can't imagine my life without him.  So I wish my father some extra special blessings of happiness today, he deserves them for putting up with me for so long!

My prayer this morning was filled with gratitude for the fathers that I have in my life.  I am grateful for a Heavenly Father that has never stopped loving me, an earthly father that loves me even when I am a pain, and a husband who is a great, loving father to our children.  I am very blessed!


Joshua 5:10-15


There are two more steps that the Lord takes in preparing His army.  One is remembering the commitment of the Lord and the other is recognizing who is in control.  They are definitely worth taking a look at.


Remembering the Commitment of the Lord (v 10-12)
In these verses, we find Israel once again keeping the feast of the Passover. They first observed it when they were still in Egypt (Ex. 9-14). They also celebrated it at Mount Sinai before they left for Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 9:1-14). However, there is no evidence that they had celebrated the Passover in 40 years. The fact is they couldn't! The new generation had not been circumcised and this was a requirement for participating in the Passover.


Now, it might help us to remember what the Passover is all about. The Israelites were to remember the night when they were passed over by the Lord and spared from the plague of death. They were to remember that it was that night in which the Lord had delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. The Passover was a time for the Jews to remember their deliverance by the Lord. Now that they are in the promised land, they are to celebrate the feast of the Passover. They are to remember the things God did for them in bringing them out of Egypt and in providing for them along the way.


When we face the battles of life would it benefit us to remember some of the great things the Lord has done for us in our pasts? What would you choose to remember that would help you prepare for what is ahead?  Here are some things that I would want to remember:


The times He has shown me love.
The times He has blessed me by grace.
The times He has forgiven my sins.
The times He lifted me up when I fell.
The times He conquered my enemies of the past.
The times He gave me victory when I thought there was no hope.


Take some time to remember the way God has proven that He is strong in your life all along the way. It will give you courage to face the next battle. If there is one thing that has stood out to me in my studies so far is that He was God then and He is still God now!


Recognizing Who is in Control (v 13-15)
The final step in getting Israel ready to conquer Canaan was to help them recognize who was in control. One day, as Joshua was looking over the city of Jericho, he saw a man standing with a drawn sword. Joshua boldly asked the man to identify himself and to state which side he was on! When the man responded, He said that He was the Captain of the Lord's Host. He told Joshua that He did not come to take sides, but to take over! Basically, General Joshua had just met the Commander in Chief (Gen 18:2)!  Joshua's response is to fall down before Him and to worship Him. This action shows that Joshua understood that he needed to submit to the will of the Lord and recognized who was in control.


What does this have to do with you and me? We must do what Joshua did, we must lay down our swords at the feet of the Captain of the Lord's host. There is a great blessing that comes from submitting to the Lord's will, it takes some of the pressure off of us!


Look at Joshua's situation, He is trying to lead an army in the successful conquest of a powerful enemy. More than anything, he needs to know that the promises God gave him when He called him are real (Josh. 1:5). Here, Joshua is experiencing the reality of those promises. God is telling Joshua that he does not have to fight the battles alone. The Lord is present and ready to direct the battle and to give the victory!


The same is true for us, we do not have to fight the battles alone.  The Lord is present in our lives and He is ready to direct the battle, we just have to submit and let Him lead!  If we do, it will give us relief from some of the pressure that we might be feeling.  I know I could use a little of that in my life!


This is the perfect topic for me to think about this Sabbath day.  As I take the sacrament I will be presented with opportunities to remember what the Lord has done for me and to stop and think about what His will is instead of mine, and maybe, if I choose to be prepared, I will be more willing to let Him lead!