See! I Have Given Jericho into Your Hand

“Now Jericho was tightly shut because of the sons of Israel; no one went out and no one came in. The Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and the valiant warriors. You shall march around the city, all the men of war circling the city once. You shall do so for six days.” Joshua 6:1-3

​God shut the city of Jericho securely so no one could enter or leave. This action was to show Joshua and the children of Israel that God had given Jericho into their hands. God mentioned His actions to Joshua so they would know it was clearly His doing and He was fulfilling His promise. Not only did God secure Jericho so that no one could enter or exit, but He also showed that He was more powerful than the king of Jericho or any man of war within the walls of Jericho. This alone would convey to the Israelites and the people of Jericho that they were at the mercy and under the power of the awesome God.

​While the city was securely shut, God required action from the Israelites. To gain possession of Jericho, they were to march around the city once for six days and follow other directives exactly as the Lord instructed. The seventh day was to be different. On the seventh day, they were to follow the instructions, but instead of marching once around Jericho, they were to march seven times, and the city wall would fall flat so that they could utterly destroy and take possession of the city while sparing Rahab and her father’s household. 

Many times, we pray for things and expect answers without any work on our part. God orchestrates events according to His will, goes before us, and prepares our path to victory. Think about the prayers you’ve prayed asking God to do certain things in your life. When those prayers are in His will and for His glory, He may ask you to do something or a number of things that may seem extraordinary to you, but require action on your part. For example, prayers for health, finances, employment, and relationships may require you to change your eating habits and exercise, change spending habits and save or invest your resources, search for jobs or learn a new skill or start a business, or meet new people or reconcile godly relationships. 
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Take a moment to acknowledge, recognize, and see what God has already done to prepare and pave the way for an answer to your prayer. God may require actions on your part and work through means that require your obedience. Some unanswered prayers may be unanswered because you need to take the step to march around your Jericho after God has prepared the way for your victory. Pray and ask God to help you take your first marching step so that the walls holding you back from possessing answered prayer fall flat like the walls of Jericho.