Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in. Then the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands." -- Joshua 6:1-2
The first time I really thought about this verse, I was really confused. I asked questions such as: If the walls are still up and the gates are barred, how has the Lord delivered Jericho to Joshua? No one is entering or leaving. How has Jericho been delivered to the Israelites? Long story short, I did not truly understand this verse until I read about Jericho in Mark Batterson's book, The Circle Maker.
To break this verse down a little, let's start with the verb tense. God speaks to Joshua in the past tense in this verse. God doesn't tell Joshua that He will deliver Jericho to him sometime in the future. Instead, God tells Joshua that He has already delivered Jericho into his hands. Basically, God tells Joshua that this battle has already been won before he even began fighting for it. God has planned for the Israelites to receive the city of Jericho because He knows that the Israelites will have faith and obey.
Later in chapter six of the book of Joshua, God tells the Israelites to march around the city of Jericho once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, seven times. I'm sure the Israelites felt a little silly doing all of this marching, but they obeyed. The Israelites had faith that God would deliver on His promise, and guess what?He did! On the seventh day after the seventh march around the city, the walls of Jericho fell down!
Here, God proves that He sticks to His promises. God won't fail you, just like He didn't fail the Israelites. They had faith that God would deliver Jericho to them, and they obeyed God's commands. Just like the Israelites, you have to keep praying for what is being put on your heart. Keep praying for God to pull through on His promises, and He will ultimately deliver.
Mark Batterson's book, The Circle Maker, asks this question: What is your Jericho?
Is your Jericho a dream that you have longed for? Have you been waiting for this miracle for years? Don't stop praying for it now. Continue to lift this dream in prayer, and God will act on it. He will keep his promises. We know that God will deliver on His promises, so we must praise Him before, during, and after the miracle. Celebrate the promises and dreams that God has placed heavily on your heart as if He has already delivered them to you.
Which one of God's promises are you praying on?
