Our car broke down, again. On our way back from our dear
friends’ wedding Saturday night we stopped at the gas station, we drove a
bridesmaid home and were waiting to meet her mom there. We turned our car off
and tried to start it again, not even five minutes later, and it wouldn’t start.
At this point, my husband and I aren’t even surprised when something goes
wrong. It has happened so many times that we literally don’t even think twice.
So we caught a ride home and a ride to church the next morning. We borrowed a
vehicle of a friend to go back and see if our car would start, praise God it
did so that we saved the towing bill. We decided to take it straight to the
dealer to be sure that it was checked out before it died again far away from
the dealer and risk towing expenses. Long story short, our starter was broke
and overheating so we needed to replace the entire thing. My husband called me
and told me the expense of the bill and all I could do was cry. We’ve had to
pull from savings this month to compensate for travel expense and hotels for
the two weddings we’re in this month, as well as a few other things for our
car. So to take out the repair for our car we would be under a hundred which
would leave us no emergency fund and hardly a savings account. At this point I
was just tired of our car breaking down constantly, overwhelmed from the lack
of hours I have had at work, the continuing bills, and the non existence of our
savings account. It’s frustrating to have things continuously go wrong when you
continue to honor God and tithe faithfully. I know that you face trials as a
Christian, but I was still confused at why it could just get progressively
worse.

I sat down to do my devotions tonight and I opened one of
the plans I have been doing on the You Version Bible App. I hadn’t been able to
do it for the past two days because of the busyness of the wedding so I sat
down to read what I missed Friday. I was immediately moved to tears because it
was exactly what I needed to read tonight.

Tonight’s devotion was talking about Joshua and the walls of
Jericho. Joshua marched around those walls for seven days, all the while he was
being mocked, laughed at, and much more. The walls showed no sign that they
were getting closer to tumbling, no cracks, and no breaks in the foundation, it
was standing perfectly. Still, on the seventh day they fell to the ground. The
end.

The following paragraph was what I read in the devotion:

“You and I were placed on this earth to bring our Heavenly
Daddy glory. And lots of it. Your tumultuous circumstance may be the very
catalyst that helps someone see Jesus. I really only have one thing left to say
to you. March on. And one day, your walls will fall, too.”

Joshua continued to march despite the circumstances, despite
the fact that he could not see beyond the wall to what was to come, he never
gave up. He kept on marching, doing exactly what God said, until He saw the
fruit of what God had promised Him. I was immediately just overwhelmed with God’s
goodness and faithfulness.

I looked up the word tumultuous and found out that it meant “disturbance.”
My car breaks down constantly, and most of the time at the worst times
possible. This disturbance in my life, this tumultuous circumstance, this trial
that I am facing – there is a reason for it. The night this happened, Chad and
I walked in the house and the first thing I said was, “I don’t even want to
think about this right now. I refuse to even worry about it, I am going to
sleep and we will take this one step at a time.” Chad replied, “Yes, sounds
good. They always say, when we go through trials something is coming around the
corner. We’ll just believe for that blessing.” Whenever we have another
incident arise, I immediately say to myself over and over that all these tests
and trials are sharpening us, they are developing us for what God has in store
for us. This disturbing circumstance is shaping us. But there’s more than just
that, this disturbance can be just what someone else needs to see Jesus. The words
of our testimony are one of the most powerful things we have in bringing people
to Jesus, and if I can tell the story of my God’s goodness through this, then
it’s all worth it.

Joshua marched around those walls, over and over and over. He
continued until God’s promise was fulfilled, and the story is in the Bible
today and has reached more people than Joshua could have ever imagined. His
decision to keep marching, his decision to press forward, and his decision to
believe God made a difference. It didn’t matter that he didn’t see the wall
begin to crumble, it didn’t matter that there was no sign of God’s promise, all
that mattered is that God promised him that it would happen. “God spoke to
Joshua, ‘Look sharp now. I’ve already given Jericho to you, along with its king
and its crack troops” (Joshua 6:2 MSG). God had already promised Joshua
Jericho, and he held on to that promise.

God has already promised me provision. God has already
promised me blessing. God has already promised me that He would take care of
me. I am going to keep marching, I am going to keep pressing forward, I refuse
to give up, and I refuse to back down. Though I may not see how it’s possible,
I may not see the signs pointing towards provision, I believe that God fulfills
His promises. What seems like an inconvenience in my life could be just what
someone needs in theirs.

Whatever your Jericho is, keep marching. God has already
promised you Jericho. Don’t give up; it could be exactly what you need to grow
your faith in God, or maybe someone else’s.