And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13-15 NKJV
Amazingly Joshua recognized our Lord immediately upon his reply. He fell to his knees acknowledging to whom he pledged his allegiance.
On another occasion, the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon.
The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” Judges 6:11-12 NIV
Gideon was by no means a mighty warrior as he’d been ostensibly hiding from the world around him at the time. But the Lord saw Gideon differently. He dd not discount his servant because he was hiding and not actively serving as a mighty warrior. He did not count him out simply because he was not living up to his potential.
God sees us for what we can be when we are walking in His strength instead of our own fears. He sees what He wants us to become in Him and doesn’t give up on us while we are struggling to fulfill the work He has prepared for us to accomplish for His kingdom. In reality, we have nothing to offer God, except to humbly walk with Him. Apart from Him, we can do nothing. But with Him, we can be mighty warriors!
The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV
Again, it is written:
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17 NIV
When the Lord appeared to Joshua in our opening verses, Joshua was about to knock down the walls of Jericho. His encounter with God gave him the assurance he needed to press on and get the job done. We all have walls we need to knock down. We can be sure that God is with us too. He is the one who will give us the victory in our lives, just like He was with Joshua and Gideon.
Don’t head into battle without the strength of knowing He is with you! In Him, you are a mighty warrior. In Him, you can do great things!
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9 NIV
Love one another.
Barnabas
Special thanks to Barnabas for this guest submission.