Don’t Pitch a Tent Here

11. December 2007 by BruceSmith.

Joshua chapter 10 continued…

Twenty miles, heavy armor, hungry stomachs, distant loves, sore feat, burning thighs, aching backs, blistered hands, weary minds, and sagging courage in the face of an ominous opposition–these were, no doubt, but a few of the nagging realities facing Joshua and his men as they made their way toward the battle ahead of them. High in the hill country, under-manned and overwhelmed, these men must have been tempted to just lay down, pitch a tent, and say, “I am done.” Surely, many had the thought, “Did God really call us to this?”

Can you relate? What are we to do when life has left us with little energy or desire to keep up the good fight? What is the point of continuing on when the odds seemed stacked against us? When victory seems more a fantasy than a real hope, is there any motivation for mustering the effort needed to press on? Should we not just pitch a tent and take a pass on the rest of the climb?

Joshua chapter 10, I believe, offers us a bit of hope regardless of the challenges we may face. Fatigue is a part of life, and we all face it as some point. Rather than lay down in surrender, however, I would like to suggest that we do have a hope which stirs us on toward one more step, one more day, one more battle, one more hill. The hope is found in our knowing that we are walking in step with God’s battle plan and in the assurance that we are headed toward the place or places He has directed us to.

Just as Abraham was called to leave all he knew and was prompted by God to “go” to a new place of God’s choosing, so was Joshua called to “go” and lead a people toward the victories God promised to secure. The foremost question we must focus our hearts upon when dealing with spiritual, emotional, and psychological fatigue is simply this, “Am I headed toward God’s agenda?” Or stated another way, “Are the steps I am taking in keeping with the territory God has called me to?”

The reality that kept Joseph on track and in the game while enduring the abuse of his brothers, the bondage of slavery, the attacks on his reputation, and the unjust imprisonments was the knowledge that he was in pursuit of God’s agenda for his life. A knowledge of being in the region of God’s plans for us is what will sustain us amidst the obstacles life brings. Abandoning God’s call to going and being assures total loss. The response of the rich young ruler who denied Jesus instruction proves this to be true. It is written of him, “He went away sad.” No doubt he stayed that way apart from the call of God. The region of worldly riches and acclaim left him bankrupt of soul.

For Abraham, his obedience in “going”, founded upon God’s promises for blessing, gave him the passion to press on even when doubt and time were tempting him to jump ship. For Joshua, the same truth literally “led” him into and through each battle.

The places God calls us to (physically, spiritually, emotionally, relationally, …) are always for our good and for the larger good. God sees beyond the petty preoccupations of our own psyches and He sees beyond our self-consumed misguided ambitions. It’s not all about you! It’s not all about me! Beyond any dream we could imagine, God has much more in store for us. It may not always come easy, and big battles may be a part of the journey, yet, in the end, the place to which He is calling us (as was the case for Joseph) is much grander than anything we could have constructed ourselves. Try as we might, we will never write a script as captivating as the story which God has authored for us.

In the light of God’s provision for us we find strength to get up off the mat and fight another day. As we keep swinging and keep climbing, God instills us with greater hope and purpose for His dreams. Each hill we take provides training and conditioning for the accomplishments which are to come. In the face of our weariness we must remember that nothing can provide us with an adequate substitute for the knowledge that we are in the place of God’s calling. No man, woman, experience, pleasure, career, or achievement can ever bring the kind of soul satisfaction which comes from living and moving in step with God’s plan.

Rather than pitching a tent and being done with it, we must take courage in the fact that God is preparing us and is paving the way for our taking of the hills He has placed us upon. We may not see the whole picture from where we currently stand, however, when we make it to the top of the next hill, the view will be astounding. As it was for Abraham, Joseph, and Joshua, it may take a while to get there, and the destination may be a bit different than we had in mind, yet, ultimately we find ourselves in a place that no eye has seen and no mind has conceived…a place God has prepared for us. Our own dreams fall terribly short of the vision God has for our lives. Indeed, just as Joseph stood before his family after 13 years of fatigue inducing experiences, second in command in all the land, finally realizing his God ordained destiny, we also, can stand in a similar place of God’s choosing with a thought similar to that which must have been on the minds of all those standing there in Joseph’s presence when he was reunited with his family, “Who would’ve thunk it?!”

As was the case for Joseph, and for Joshua and his men, as they drew closer and committed more of themselves to God’s plan, the opposition increased accordingly. Yet, what they found in the end, was that God was good on His promise to provide all they needed. As we feel the odds increasingly stacking against us in any given situation, we must turn to God, ask for His intervention, and then take another step, in faith, toward the life He has called us to. No matter how distant the dream may seem, no matter how hollow the promise may sound, no matter how far you may be feel from the reality of attaining His promises, He is at work. The question you and I must resolve is whether or not we are continuing to fight the good fight. We must be resolute in our purpose to press on toward becoming, in every situation, amidst every attack, in the face of increasing spiritual opposition, all that God has called us to be.

God’s call is for us to “go”. We must choose if we will take the path of Jonah or the path of Joshua, Joseph, and Abraham. Have you “gone” to that place God has called you? Are you attempting to run from the place God has presently called you to? If you leave or ignore His call you will only complicate things for yourself. Outside of the plot God has ordained, and removed from the role He has drawn up for you, there is little, actually zero hope, for soul satisfaction. If God has orchestrated your life and brought you into a “land” you are not familiar with or thrilled to be in, you may want to consider, along with Joseph, and along with Joshua and his men, that God chooses the routes that lead us to His land of promise. As Jeremiah has assured us, He has plans not to harm us, but for our good…plans to give us a hope and a future. Such a promise gives us strength amidst our fatigue!

Keep Climbing…tear down that tent!

Bruce Smith

optimuslife.org

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