Empty Your Plate
“You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a loud blast with the ram’s horn […] all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” - Joshua 6:3-5
This month, I started reading the book of Joshua. When I reached chapter 6, I realized I haven’t read the story of Jericho’s fall since I was a kid. In fact, the last time I heard it may have been in the form of Larry the Cucumber accosting the French peas on top of the wall. Veggie Tales made full use of the absurdities involved in the story of Jericho, but as I read the REAL story, I shook my head. While the story doesn’t involve vegetables, it is truly absurd! Here are the instructions God gave Joshua for defeating Jericho:
“You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a loud blast with the ram’s horn […] all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” - Joshua 6:3-5
If I was Joshua carrying out these instructions, I may have felt like I was doing too little to win the fight. Just march and yell? No heroic act on my part to propel victory? I would have said: “But God! I can handle more!” I would have been tempted to beg God for more responsibility so I could carry my weight and look like a more capable leader. I’ll never know if Joshua experienced similar thoughts and feelings. What matters is his actions. He got out of God’s way and played only the part with his name on it, and he got a miraculous result. Jericho’s walls fell down and the city was defeated.
I often feel discontent with what I am doing and I want to keep my life’s plate heaping full. I want to be a hardworking, capable follower of God. However, Joshua’s experience made me wonder: am I standing in God’s way? Where is my room for God? What is God actually asking me to do in this season of life, and what do I pile on top to feel important, needed, and busy?
Get out of God’s way today and tell Him you’re willing to empty your plate. What has He asked you to do to conquer the sins in your life or share His name with the people around you? This year, I will make room for Him, so He is free to use me for something miraculous.