Recently, God and I have been getting together frequently in the middle of the night.
Darkness is the Enemy’s territory. It is where the waves of doubt and shame threaten to stifle out all I know to be true about God. I hear the whispers, “Is God really fighting for you, or are you doing this on your own again?” Or “When is it that you will actually follow Him wholeheartedly?” So, God and I have a secret meeting while the rest of the world sleeps.
The Lord said to Joshua, "Do not fear them, because I have given them into your hand; not one of them shall stand before you." So Joshua came upon them suddenly, [surprising them] by marching [uphill] all night from Gilgal . . . There has not been a day like that before it or after it, when the Lord listened to (heeded) the voice of a man; for the Lord was fighting for Israel. These verses describe one of the most miraculous victories in the Bible. God made the sun stand still for twenty-four hours so the Israelites could win. I got so caught up in the miracle that I almost missed what came before it.
The Lord told Joshua, “Do not fear,” and then Joshua marched uphill all night. That intrigued me, maybe because it was dark outside—but mostly because it matched precisely how my heart felt.
Sometimes we feel as if the journey God has called us on is taking us uphill all night. Perhaps Joshua questioned himself in the darkness whenever he tripped on a branch or hit a rock. I like to think he did.
The important part is not the doubts but the response. One foot in front of the other. No turning back. Slowly stumbling uphill in the darkness. Joshua’s doubts did not stop him from moving forward. Despite the treacherous climb, his perseverance brought deliverance in a way Israel had never seen before or since.
There in the darkness, I heard a whisper: “Just because your heart is climbing uphill all night does not mean I am not fighting for you, nor does it mean that you have strayed off the path. So keep climbing because a victory awaits.”
Fellow climbers, I pass on these words to you: “Just keep climbing, for victory awaits!”
(photo courtesy of pixabay.com.)
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Tammy Boyd is a wife to an amazing man and a mom to two wonderful and energetic boys. She loves to write, bake, run, and watch her children laugh. More than that, she is simply a follower of Jesus who is dependent on His grace and mercy daily. She wants to speak life and love well in all she does. You can follow her at https://find-joy.weebly.com/blog.