Take off your shoes !

Friday September 3, 2021

Take off your shoes !

Joshua 5:15 - And the captain of the LORD's host said to Joshua : "Take off your shoes from off your feet, for the place whereon you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.

Joshua, the head of the people of Israel, has just entered the land of Canaan, the promised land. Huge challenges lie ahead, starting with the closed and barricaded city of Jericho, ready for a bloody battle. Probably Joshua had isolated himself in prayer when the commander of the Lord's army appeared before him with a drawn sword in his hand.

This is where this "boss" is going to ask something very surprising for a soldier of the day, He is going to ask that he take off his shoes. The only time a soldier like Joshua could take his shoes off was in a time of security and peace. My reflection is : in times of struggles and struggles, we can enter into the rest of God !

Sometimes we are overwhelmed by oppressive situations and our primary tendency will be to fight, and to fight again. Now, at one point, the Lord is going to send us his Word to tell us : “Relax, come into my holy presence and I send my army to fight in your stead. There is no point in not sleeping and turning the problem all over the place for solutions. Let me do ! Come into my rest and watch Me act”.

When Joshua entered that rest, the Lord communicated to him the strategy for taking the city of Jericho. No trenches, no assault on the wall, no tunnel to dig... just walk around the city in silence blowing trumpets. Quite a relaxing strategy, don't you think ? A little musical stroll !

My beloved, we urgently need to enter this rest ! This rest is not idleness, nor indifference, much less failure... but the demonstration of complete trust in our God. I would like us to be encouraged by this promise of the Lord : "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest" (Matthew 11:28).

Good reflection.

Source (Ezekiel 37 Ministries)