The Moment in Between

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November 16th, 2011

There’s a moment that lies between a leap of faith and a miracle. That was true for the Israelites in Joshua’s day.

The promise had been made. Even before the Israelites began to march around Jericho, blowing the trumpets, and the walls fell, God declared the outcome: “I have delivered Jericho into your hands” (6:2a).

That could have been the end of the story. God is all powerful. He certainly didn’t need the Israelite’s help. He could have whispered the command and poof—it would have happened instantly. However, in doing that, the Israelites would have learned nothing about God’s ability to deliver them from their enemies. They would not have discovered God’s wonderful faithfulness, always following through on his promises.

God promised Jericho to his people. The Israelites faithfully marched for seven days, blowing their trumpets. Would God do the rest? Carrying out the rest of his commands, they indeed witnessed a miracle, as the city fell open before them.

Taking a leap of faith is always a stretch. Believing in the miracle is tough. Still, God never made a promise he didn’t keep!