Constancy of heart

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. … Set an ambush behind the city” (Joshua 8:1-2)

As I was reading in my quiet time one sunny morning in March this passage from Joshua really stood out for me. Joshua had led the people across the river, and they had conquered Jericho. I’m sure you remember the account of how they marched around the city once a day for six days, then on the seventh day they marched around seven times, gave a war cry, and the walls fell before them.

Following that victory they had suffered a surprise defeat and had lost heart. Achan had been unfaithful to God by hoarding plunder God had said he couldn’t have and the people of Ai had easily defeated the Israelites. This is the setting for the passage I was reading.

God gave Joshua instructions, he reminded him of his calling to be strong and very courageous, although he did this by saying “do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Then God did something that over time became a pattern for Joshua, he told him to capture Ai by setting an ambush rather than by marching around it for seven days. How much easier it would have been for Joshua to believe that God was delivering Ai into their hands if they had used a tried and tested battle technique. But this wasn’t to be the way for the Israelites – throughout the battles that Joshua led them in God gave different instructions on how to fight each one.

What God was teaching Joshua and the rest of the Israelites was that they were to trust in him and to follow his ways. The constancy God was looking for wasn’t that they kept doing the same things, rather it was that they kept doing things the way he told them. He was looking for a constancy in their hearts, a willingness to not simply settle into a regular pattern and feel safe in it, but a willingness to trust God and move on as he directed.

And so it is for us today. God looks for the same constancy in us. A faith that is built on relationship with him, a faith that is willing to step out and follow his lead. He wants us to be people who listen for his voice and respond wholeheartedly to his call, a people who offer all of ourselves to his service.

As we look ahead to Easter and think about Jesus who modelled out that constancy and who died to bear our punishment and bring us salvation, let us stop and consider again the lesson of trust that Joshua and the Israelites learnt, and let us recommit ourselves to unreservedly giving our all to God.

May you find fresh joy in him this Easter as you recommit yourself to his service!