My Share of Jerichos

Today I am thinking about Jericho and how the Israelites brought down the wall. They marched around it for seven days, occasionally blowing their horns. But the Bible doesn't describe any deterioration in the wall until it actually falls on the seventh day. There is no description of cracks spreading or rocks falling or walls shifting. The way the story is told, it seems like the wall was intact for 7 days as the Israelites marched, that it was whole until the last day when the Israelites gave one last blast on the trumpets and let out a loud shout. Only then did the wall crumble and fall.

The sudden nature of the wall's collapse shows me that God could have brought down the wall at any time.  He didn't need the Israelites to march around the wall to gradually bring it down. The march was for Israel. The march was about Israel's faith, not about God's power.

I wonder how the Israelites must have felt, walking around the city day after day and seeing no change in the wall. I think about the things I have been (metaphorically) marching around. I realize that no change doesn't mean God isn't present, it doesn't mean God isn't at work. No change means I've been given an opportunity to put my faith, my trust in God. God brings us to Jericho to mature our faith, to take us out of our comfort zone, to get us to make a leap of faith, to show us his faithfulness.

What Jerichos are you marching around?  Are you trusting God to move when He decides the time is right?

Today's Verse
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him

Take Advantage

I love when I wake up early, full of energy, and get to spend that unexpected and unscheduled time with God. For those of you who know just how much I love sleeping, this probably sounds completely out of character - and generally, you would be right. This morning, however,  it's how I feel.

I went to bed late last night, and then I woke up much earlier than usual this morning, unable to go back to sleep for those last couple of hours. Surprisingly, I didn't mind. Instead of fighting to go back to sleep, annoyed that I wouldn't get my full 8 hours, I found myself full of things to talk about with God and full of energy so that I could get up and start the day. The house was quiet, my earlier-than-scheduled walk to campus was virtually empty of people. I felt like it was just me and God.

By the time I got to my campus office, two hours earlier than I had planned when I set my alarm last night, I had gotten up, gotten dressed, gotten ready for work, done my devotions, and spent some serious time in prayer and it was only 7 am.

Often, having fibromyalgia means dragging myself out of bed after at least 8 hours of sleep - preferably more. But, sometimes, the sleeplessness that comes with my disease means a day of wakefulness that starts early, giving me the opportunity to carve out a larger chunk of time for God and still check things off my to do list.

Having fibromyalgia means taking advantage of the opportunities God blesses me with whenever possible. It means finding the silver lining in only 5 hours of sleep, using it for worship and good work, rather than wasting it trying to will myself back to sleep.

Are you taking advantages of the unexpected opportunities God is giving you to connect with him?

Today's Verse
Psalm 5:3
In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.