“And the Lord said unto Joshua, Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies… neither will I be with you anymore, except ye destroy the accursed from among you” (KJV, Jos. 7:10-12).
“And the Lord said unto Joshua”
Father, I thank You for the ways that You have spoken to me. I thank You for Your Word. I thank You for the times in which You impress Your truth upon my heart by the power of the Holy Spirit.
I pray that You would continue to illuminate Your Word. I pray that You would burden my heart for Your Word and help me to never forget the importance of Your Word. I pray that I would grow in my appreciation for Your Word.
You are worthy of my time. You are worthy of my devotion and my attention. Please rid me of distractions that I might seek You better and get to know You more. I see that You desired to communicate with Joshua.
I see all throughout Your Word that You have desired to communicate with Your creation. I pray that I would never forget this fact, but that I would cherish the fact that You, O Lord, would desire to speak to me, too.
“Get thee up; wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face?”
I see in the story of Joshua, in the verses above, a time in which Joshua fell on his before You in prayer. However, I also see that You told him to get up. It is as though You called Joshua to action. I can see in my own life that there are times when I might not necessarily need to pray about something, but instead, I should do something.
I pray that You would help me to be a man of action. Help me to be one who does not simply pray about things but seeks to do that which needs to be done. Give me eyes to see how I can make a difference and not simply rely on others to accomplish that which would glorify You. Help me to see my calling as an ambassador for Christ.
“Israel hath sinned”
Father, I also see the way in which sin has drastically changed the world in which I live. I see that in the Garden, there was an element of goodness present that is no longer here. I see that sin entered the world, and a curse came upon mankind that nothing short of death will entirely erase for the Christian. So here I find myself in the midst of a sin-stricken world.
However, I also see that You have forgiven me of my sin. Thank You for Your forgiveness, Lord; I do not deserve Your mercy. I do not deserve Your love. I also see that You have given me of Your Holy Spirit and have made me into a new creation. Thus, I have the ability to fight sin in my life.
Thank You for this dramatic change. I pray that You would help me to embrace what Your Word says about me, and I pray that it would be evident that I am a new creation.
“and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them”
I thank You for the covenant that You have entered into with me. I thank You that You have desired to be with me and to dwell with me throughout all eternity. I cannot imagine why You would do such a thing, but I know that the Bible tells me that You love me. I know You see the wrongs that I have done. I know that You see the sin that dwells within me, but You love me still.
You are an approachable God Who is rich in grace and mercy and Who abounds in love. I also see not only that have You entered into covenant with me, but also that I have entered into a covenant with You. I have pledged my obedience to You. While there is grace along the way, I pray that I would grow in my faithfulness to You more and more.
“for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also”
I pray that You would rid me of the sin that still remains in my heart. I see in this portion of Scripture that Your people did not go into the land and devote to destruction that which You told them to devote to destruction.
I pray that You would work in my heart and help me to let go of the sin that still remains. I pray that You would help me to let go of sin and that you would rid me of the sin that clings so closely to me.
I pray that I would not go out and willfully sin against You. I pray that I would not take more sin within my heart as though You do not know and cannot see. I pray for purity, Lord, and that You would make me zealous for You. I pray that You would assist me in cleansing my temple, much like Jesus cleansed the temple in the New Testament.
“and they have put it even among their own stuff”
I see in the life of Your people a time in which they took that which they should have devoted to destruction, and they stored it in their tents. I see the way in which You tell me to put sin to death in my heart. I should take Your command to me just as seriously as the command You gave to the Israelites.
Sin brings death, and I should never downplay this fact.
Show me how to put sin to death in my life. Increase my faith that I would reckon myself dead to sin and alive with Christ. Increase my faith that I would put sin to death by the power of Your Spirit.
“Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies”
I also see what cherishing sin in the heart will bring about. The Israelites could not stand before their enemies because they cherished their sin more than God. I cannot choose You and sin. I cannot serve two masters; it is not possible.
When the Israelites chose sin instead of You, they made it clear where their place of refuge would be. But, Father, You are my place of refuge. You are my hiding place. I choose this day to abide in the shadow of Your wings.
I realize that I cannot stand before my enemies if I continually persist in sin. I must repent and turn to You afresh this day. I must seek to abide by Your commands, and I believe that if I do, I will be greatly assisted in the midst of the battles that I will face.
“neither will I be with you anymore, except ye destroy the accursed from among you”
Father, I thank You that You will never leave me or forsake me. I thank You that You hold my life in the palms of Your hands. I thank You that since You have started a good work in me, You will bring it to completion. I thank You that I need not fear a future judgment as long as I am truly a believer and that my sin has been cast into the sea of forgetfulness.
However, I also see that there is a way that sin separates. Sin by its very nature separates. I see that when I sin against You, I place a wedge in between us. If there is anything that is getting in the way of our relationship, I pray that You would show me.
Search my heart and show me, Lord, if there is anything dishonoring in Your sight. Lead me in the direction that I ought to go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.