Pushing Through The Pain

“ The color of the sky is gray as I can see through the blinds Lift my head from the pillow and then fall again”---Like The Weather, 10,000 Maniacs

And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?---Joshua 7:10

I’ve never felt like an overcomer. I’m more the type of person that sees monsters at the door and decides I didn’t want to go outside anyway. It was one of those days as a teenager that I came across this story in the book of Joshua.

The Israelites go out to war with Ai which should have been a simple victory. Due to sin in the Israelite camp, the Canaanites win the battle. Joshua tears his clothes and falls to the earth on his face. God then gives him this rousing speech and tells him to take care of business.

Christians often have a heart verse that embodies something significant for them; Joshua 7:10 could be my heart verse. There is many a day when life seems daunting. Dreams crash and burn. Foolish mistakes yield foolish results. Most of the time good answers are lacking.

There is a positive side to taking care of what needs to be taken care of. The Proverbs tell us that a righteous man falls seven times but rises. Pushing through the pain allows for God to work in my circumstances.

The victory should have been the Israelites. Joshua saw that but gave up when the battle didn’t go as expected. He cast his heart downward toward the earth rather than looking upward for his help. That is why God was upset. He’d thrown the wrong thing. He threw in the towel when he should have been throwing his hat into the ring.