PROXIMITY- Peace Surrounded by Chaos- WEDNESDAY
Peace Surrounded by Chaos
by
Rocky Fleming
Wednesday - ACTION: Praise and Declaration
I find the battle plan God gave to Joshua significant in dealing with our chaos in everyday life. Along with taking every thought captive and making our needs known to God, we need to change our thinking by a saturation of praise. God required that the priests be with the Israelite army with the Ark of the Covenant while carrying seven trumpets of rams' horns before they took on Jericho. These priests and the Ark were preceded by armed men and in the rear by an armed guard. These priests and the Ark could be viewed as the "heart" of God's army. We know the story of how the impenetrable walls of Jericho came tumbling down like a house of cards when the Israelites obeyed God by walking around the fortress seven days, and then blowing the trumpets while shouting. Joshua said to the people, "Shout, for the Lord has given you the city." They did these things although it seems like a bazaar battle plan, and victory was theirs. What can we learn from this when facing walls of adversity that bring chaos into our life? Let's take a look:
What we see in this battle strategy is obedience to God and a declaration by the people that victory would follow. This initiated God's promise to bring those walls down. In the same way, when you turn to praise and worship of God in the midst of your chaos ... when you declare to your King that you believe He will prevail over this particular trial you face ... chaos will not enter your soul... and your sanctuary will not be breached. Then, He is able to bring those walls down in your life.
"Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive. He could show up any minute!" Philippians 4:4-5 (MSG)