Get Up!


Defeat.

We all face it. We fall spiritually. A relationship falls apart. A financial hit devastates us. A ministry opportunity doesn’t work out. A job is lost. The list goes on and on.

Joshua faced it as well. After the triumph in Jericho a much smaller battle awaited the people he led. The little city of Ai would be much easier to conquer, but that’s not how things worked out at all. The decision was made to send a smaller army to the battle, and here are the results;

“They were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them.”
Joshua 7:4-5

Now if you know the story you know there’s more to the story than losing a battle. There was sin in the camp that had to be dealt with. However for the purpose of this blog we’re focusing on Joshua’s response to the defeat, and God’s response to Joshua.

Check out Joshua after the loss;

“Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening.” Joshua 7:6

And listen to some of his words;

“If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!” Joshua 7:7

Joshua was wrong. It wasn’t better to have stayed on the other side of the Jordan. The Promised Land awaited them, and God planned to give it to them. As Joshua laid on his face wallowing in self pity God spoke. We might expect God to speak comforting, encouraging words to Joshua. But here’s what he says;

“Get up! Why are you lying on your face like this?” Joshua 7:10

Wow! This wasn’t time to moan and wail, this was time to get things right.

I believe that’s still God’s word to us today when we blow it. “Don’t stay down...do what you need to do to deal with this...Get up!”

Moses blew it the first time he tried to deliver any of his people. But he got up, and showed back up 40 years later.
Esther missed her chance the first night she planned to address the impending genocide of her people. But she got up, and came through during her second dinner invitation.
Abraham fell, Gideon hid, David sinned, Peter denied, and the list goes on. But they got up.

When life deals us a difficult blow, be it through our own fault or someone else’s, it’s never time to stay down. It’s always time to get up. Repent, make things right, get back to work. You may be down, but you’re not out.

 “For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again.” Proverbs 24:16

Get up!

Following the Son,
James A Williams



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It’s My Turn To Be The Pop

Image
“ Children's children are a crown.” Proverbs 17:6 One year ago today my phone rang. I was looking forward to this call. “Hey, Dad. How are you?” “I’m alright.” (Standard response) He wasn’t alright. The cancer, chemo, and treatments had taken such a toll on him. This was Josiah’s birthday though. His first birthday. My Dad always called everyone in the family on their birthday and sang to them. He never missed anyone’s. It wasn’t pretty, and became a comical family joke yet we all looked forward to it.  I called for my son, Nathaniel, who brought his son, Josiah, over to the phone. I held the phone to Josiah’s ear and Nathaniel and I pressed in as we all listened to Dad sing. His voice was raspy and labored. Josiah’s eyes danced. Nathaniel and I smiled and laughed. Tears filled my eyes. He couldn’t stay on the phone long. He tired quickly and speaking was difficult. Josiah’s first time hearing his great grandfather sing Happy Birthday would also be his la...
Read more

What’s In Your Cart?

Image
On this day in 1939, Sylvan Goldman who owned the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain got an idea. He was trying to think of a way for his customers to transport more groceries around his stores. He attached 4 wheels to the legs of a wooden folding chair, and then attached a basket to the seat. The shopping cart was born.  Before this shopping trips to the Humpty Dumpty or the Piggly Wiggly would be limited to what you could carry in your arms. I wonder if Sylvan’s original patent stated that one of the wheels was to either not spin or rapidly shake back and forth? It’s possible that this is some modern improvement on his original design. However it happened the carts keep getting bigger. When I bring my groceries to the check out counter I sometimes use the self check out. I don’t like the self checkout because the computer keeps telling me I put things in the bagging area when I didn’t. When I get a real person they will often ask this profound question. “Did you find ev...
Read more

Get The Rebound

Image
If you've ever played or watched basketball you know that rebounding is a huge part of the game. If you're unfamiliar with the sport rebounding is quite simply getting the ball when a shot is missed. You can't score without the ball which makes the play of great importance. It's not unusual for a team with a higher shooting percentage to lose a basketball game because they were out rebounded. On the court what you do when you miss can be even more important than making shots. It's true in life as well. Everyone misses shots, but that doesn't mean you've lost the game. Get the rebound. "For though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again." Proverbs 24:16. People won't always give you the chance to rise again. For some your shortcoming is how they'll label you forever. Get the rebound anyway.  It was the historian Froude who wrote, "The worth of a man must be measured by his life, not by his failure under a singular a...
Read more