A New Day
The people had been to the edge of the Promised Land before but the failed to enter in. Now they were back and Joshua their new leader, was to bring them into something new. But how?
“And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" So, He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the LORD I have now come” (Joshua 5:13).
They faced new challenges and new strongholds at Jericho. Every year of our lives must have its challenges. We will meet situations that we have never met before. If we don’t, we aren’t entering into anything new but are just going in circles and repeating what we did yesterday in the wilderness.
Joshua didn’t recognise the Man in front of Him. He had never seen God like this before. God came to Joshua in a way he had never known before because he was going into a situation he had never faced before. God has a revelation for every new situation. We may already know He can make bread to feed 5000 but that doesn’t help us when we are stepping out on the water from the boat. This was a new situation; they needed to see Jesus walk on water. Every time the disciples were challenged by a situation they had not been in before, they needed to know God in a new way. We never get to know God as the “Rock higher than I” until you’re in water up to your neck.
Joshua was entering into a new situation and that meant he needed to meet God in a new way. If our future is going to be new, then what we need from God will be new and how you need God to appear to you, will be new too. What Joshua knew of God to this point wasn’t enough, for his next fight. The way we got to the Jordan is not sufficient to get into Jericho! If we don’t see and meet the Man in front of us, we will repeat last year.
Friends, more of Gods inheritance for us, is really just more of God. We need to see the Man in front of us. He’s not behind us or to the side of us, nor is he a long way off. He is in front of you, so lift up your eyes. Can you see Him this morning? Just encountering Him will be enough to prepare you for your future. He has come to Lead you into your new day on the other side of your next battle.