Never Too Old to Keep Going for God
Now Joshua was old and advanced in years, and the Lord said to him, 'You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to be possessed.’ (Joshua 13:1)
Josh. 13:1 and 14·6-11; Ps. 84:7; Pr. 4:18; Isa. 54:2; II Cor. 1:20; Phil. 4:13
What Is God Saying?
Joshua was 85. He survived the wilderness journey. It was a difficult and costly undertaking, but it was no time to retire. The Lord was in charge of his retirement plans. To leave him in no doubt, the Lord spelt out a list of things that needed to be done. The army under Joshua was dismissed. It was now the responsibility of each tribe to clear out the remaining pockets of resistance. Joshua was the one to give moral leadership. Much had been accomplished, but more needed to be done.
How Does This Apply To Us?
Are we aware of the unpossessed lands that need to be dealt with in our own lives? Is the Spirit of God speaking to us of unconfessed sin, of goals that are unworthy of our calling, of indulgences that don't seem all that bad but which are not all that good? Has God given us to see the territory very close to home, a weight that needs to be lifted, an enemy that needs to be conquered? The Book of Judges describes the unrest, the confusion, and the misery of a nation that did not drive out all the enemies and thus had to live with unending problems.
Think not only of what is to be driven out but also what is to be taken in: the joy of serving Christ, the beauty of righteous life, the help our neighbor needs, the comfort and encouragement that can turn a victim into a vibrant victor. "There remains yet very much land to be possessed." Possession is the right word for all the promises God wants to come true in our lives. Possess and profess the Christ. That is the greatest good and the truest treasure
Pray With Me
In unwavering obedience, Lord, Joshua subdued the enemies of Israel. On this side of Calvary one cannot understand that merciless, sweeping slaughter of human life. Even so, Joshua is a good model for the Iiving today. Joshua was a man of simple obedience. He had the courage to go with God rather than run with the crowd. This is always a choice that must be made by the people of faith. Being timeless, the choice is always timely.
When he was old and advanced in years, he heard Your voice, "You are old and advanced m years." You did not tell him to rest on his laurels. You did not speak of victories won and work well done. You did not speak of rest and comfort. Lord, when I want to rest upon past achievements, speak to me as to Your servant Joshua. Whenever I slip into that perilous, deadening state of mind where the past and its trophies seem more important, more desirable and more satisfying than the future, speak to me as You spoke to Your servant Joshua.
Then, in the spirit of my Lord, ‘Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the Cross,’ help me to run with patience the race that is set before me. ‘Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,’
• I heed Your voice which beckons.
• I lean on Your grace which enables.
• I draw upon Your strength which is made perfect in weakness
…until the land that remains to be possessed is, in fact, possessed. To the glory of my great God and Savi0r, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Moving On In The Life of Prayer
The prayer of confession closes the door to the past. ‘God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ (I Jn. 1:9). But the prayer of commitment opens the door to the future. God has taken care of the past. It is not for us to take our cares into the future. The promised land is the land of promises and ‘all the promises of God find their Yes in Christ. That is why we utter the Amen through Him, to the glory of God’ (II Cor. 1:20). We have received the Spirit. Prayer is the time we read the terms of our guarantee and rejoice in the promises the Spirit gave to our hearts (II Cor. 1:22).
