37 Days: Week 4 Foundation - These Walls Must Fall

From Pastor Randy Harvey's devotional for 37 Days Week 4

These Walls Must Fall

And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, “Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies’?” He said, “Neither. I’m commander of God’s army. I’ve just arrived.” Joshua fell, face to the ground, and worshiped. He asked, “What orders does my Master have for His servant?” God’s Army Commander ordered Joshua, “Take your sandals off your feet. The place you are standing is holy.” Joshua did it. Joshua 5:13-15

The situation seems impossible. As Joshua scouts out Jericho, he wonders, “How in the world are going to get past the walls of this city? I’ve never seen walls so thick and tall, and we’ve never fought a battle like this.” And just like that, Jesus appears as a man standing with sword drawn ready for action. Joshua confronts the “man” at first asking, “Whose side are you on—ours or theirs?” “Neither!” Jesus answers. “Me and My army are here to bring about the will of the Father, and you are now under My command.” At this, Joshua falls to the ground before the Master and worships. “What would You have me to do, Commander?” Jesus says, “Take off your sandals, for the place you are standing is holy.” Then Jesus lays out the battle plan. “Joshua, Me and My troops are going to do all the heavy lifting. You and your troops are mostly going to worship all around the walls.”

You see, Jesus instructed Israel to take the Ark of Covenant—the very presence of God—and march around the city with the priest blowing the ram’s horn (called a shofar). This was the horn of worship. Ordinarily, a metal horn was used for military signals and battle communication, but Jesus called for the priest to lead the march and for the worship sound to fill the air. For six days, the priest worshipped while the armies walked with them around the walls of Jericho (about seven acres of walled city). Then, on the seventh day, they circled seven times and began to shout to the Lord.

On the seventh time around, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua signaled the people, “Shout! For God has given you the city!” (Joshua 6:16) And then it happened.  The walls began to crack and the ground shook. Huge boulders were dislodged as the armies of Israel worshipped God and the priest sounded the shofar. The city collapsed and the victory was fast and miraculous. Praise God! 

So how about you? Have any obstacles in your life that seem impossible to remove?  Like Joshua, you and I can keep looking at the issues and try to figure out how we are going to get past them. Or, we can worship. That’s right. A completely illogical plan that seems to make no sense . . . at least not to our minds. However, if it’s impossible for us, then it’s going to be Jesus and His troops who do the heavy lifting. Our job is to cheer Him on as He fights our battles.

This week we are going to target areas of difficulty that we will call “walls.” We will pray and worship and trust God to do the impossible. These walls must and will fall!

January 22^nd  – Blindness Must Fall

When the servant of the man of God got up early the next morning and went outside, there were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere. “Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man cried to Elisha. “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (the armies of God). 2 Kings 6:15-17

Heavenly Father, open my eyes. I believe in You, but struggle as the servant of Elisha because of what I see with my natural eyes. Open my eyes to see this impossible situation resolved. I worship You, O God, for Your power to do the impossible. And I will worship You every time I think of this wall in my life that needs to come down. I shout to You Lord for You have given me the victory . . . in Jesus’ name!

(Name your wall. Write down the seemingly impossible obstacles and begin to worship God for His resolution.)