Joshua 9:12-15
This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey. The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.
Israelites made a mistake this time because they didn't pray and ask Jehovah, which was the same mistake as they made back in the battle of Ai. First time they attacked Ai, the Israelites relied on the momentum from the battle of Jericho and their own experience, and they did not ask God. Didn't they learn the lesson? That was not necessarily the case. If they were going to attack a different city, they would have prayed and sought God's will. Now, however, the Gibeonites came to seek peace, not to fight, and it's not something they had experienced before, so they thought they didn't have to ask God.
Isn't this a familiar situation? When we work on church ministry, they feel that we need to ask God about everything; when we go back to the office, however, we don't think God would understand about computers, so better solve the problems by ourselves. Once we go home, we take matters into our own hands and we don't think we need to consult God who grants us wisdom and grace. In fact, God has taught the Israelites a lesson here - The most basic principle of spiritual warfare is that we must ask God about everything. The Lord loves to reveal His will to us as long as we like to seek him and listen to him. Brother and sister, are you faced with all kinds of choices today? Don't depend on your own smarts, wisdom and experience again. You must learn to depend on God and ask Him about everything.
In the song "What A Friend We Have In Jesus," a line in the lyrics says "Oh, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry." Everything to God in prayer!" That is so true! Israelites failed twice because they did not exercise this spiritual principle. Brothers and sisters, do you not want to suffer in vain? We must bring everything before God's throne in prayer!
Pray with Pastor Tong
Lord, we thank you because not only you love to listen to our prayers, you also love to speak to us. When we bring everything before your throne in prayer, may you grant us your mercy and personally guide us in our lives. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.