Joshua 6:1-5 TLB - The gates of Jericho were kept tightly shut because the people were afraid of the Israelis; no one was allowed to go in or out.
² But the Lord said to Joshua, “Jericho and its king and all its mighty warriors are already defeated, for I have given them to you! ³?4 Your entire army is to walk around the city once a day for six days, followed by seven priests walking ahead of the Ark, each carrying a trumpet made from a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to walk around the city seven times, with the priests blowing their trumpets. 5 Then, when they give one long, loud blast, all the people are to give a mighty shout, and the walls of the city will fall down; then move in upon the city from every direction.”
Have you ever experienced a scenario in your life where God just doesn't make sense?
Maybe you're thinking to yourself I don't know if I want to answer that or not, because I don't want God to think that I'm not trusting him, or that I'm doubting him... so I'm just not going to answer that.
Or maybe you're thinking to yourself... I don't want to answer that because I don't want to sound unspiritual.
Well I'm going to answer it for myself, and I'm going to say... Yes. Yes there have been times when God just doesn't make sense.
Maybe I should clarify that... There are times when what God is saying to me, or telling me to do, or telling me where to go, or telling me what I shouldn't do, just doesn't make sense. In other words it isn't logical. It doesn't fit into my "this is how I do it box."
Now I'm going to say something right here. Most of the problem that the children of Israel had was with the fact that God very often didn't make sense to them.
Many times God directed them to go a direction, or
to do a thing, that just didn't make sense to them.
When God led the children of Israel out of Egypt instead of taking them on the shortcut, he took them the long way around, and he led them directly to the Red Sea. Now let's be honest about it, that didn't make any sense.
10 different times the children of Israel angered God through their stubbornness and through their Rebellion, and it was basically because God didn't make sense to them.
Job 19:3 These ten times have ye reproached me: ye are not ashamed that ye make yourselves strange to me.
Now I'm no expert on this but I have come to believe that the most important thing in the heart of God concerning his children is this... He wants to be believed, he wants to be trusted.
And he will do things, and he will direct his children to do things that don't make any sense to them.
Sometimes I can say that God doesn't make any sense to me when he is silent.
Sometimes I can say that God doesn't make any sense to me, because it seems that he isn't doing anything about my problems.
Sometimes God doesn't make sense to me, because he asks me to something that hurts my pride.
If the question is, is there ever a time when God doesn't make sense to you? My answer is, "most of the time."
Did it make any sense to Naaman that he could go dip in a muddy river called Jordan, and he could be completely cleansed from leprosy?
Did it make any sense for the children of Israel to get up every morning, and then go out and walk silently around Jericho, except for the blowing of the rams horns, once everyday for six days, and seven times on the seventh day, then to shout?
Did it make any sense for Peter to go fishing, to get money to pay his taxes?
Did it make any sense for Jesus to spit in the dirt and make mud, and put it on a blind mans eyes, then to send him across town to wash it off?
Did it make any sense for Peter to simply throw his net on the other side of the boat, after he had fished all night, and caught nothing?
Did it make any sense for Elisha to cut off and throw a stick into the water where an iron axehead had fallen, expecting it to float to the surface?
So I'm going to ask the question again... Are there times when God doesn't make sense to me? My answer is yes, and I will even go so far as to say to you that most of the time, God doesn't make sense to me.
Let's go a little farther. Does it make sense to you that you can take a piece of fabric and pray over it, and put some anointing oil on it, and when that fabric, apron, cloth etc. is placed on someone that demons would leave them, and their bodies would be healed, does that make sense?
Does it make any sense that with your mouth, you can say, in Jesus name I draw a bloodline, and demons have to stop in their tracks, and can't cross the bloodline?
You see, I have learned something about God. What we want from God is sense, but what God wants from us is faith.
God is not a sense God, he is a faith God. And walking with God is not a sense walk it's a faith walk.
We have missed our greatest blessings, and greatest breakthroughs in our lives, because we wouldn't do, or say, or go, when and where God said. Why? Because it didn't make sense.
We want God to be logical, he wants us to be obedient.
We want God to explain everything to us before we move. But God wants us to move without him explaining anything.
You know, there is a possibility that there were some scientific equations, and hypothisis, that went into the walls of Jericho coming down.
There is a possibility that scientifically, somehow the continous blowing of the rams horns, and the single stored up shout, created a massive sonic sound wave that disrupted the molecules that held the wall together, and it fell.
That's possible. But God didn't have a scientific conference with Joshua, and explain to him all the scientific details of his commission. He just told him what to do, and Joshua did it.
That's how God works, he gives the orders, no explainations, and he leaves it up to you to obey or disobey.
It's possible that there were some kind of healing ingredients in the mud of the Jordan river, that attacked leprosy. I said it's possible. But even if that is true, God didn't explain it to Naaman, he just told him to go and dip.
The point is, God knows all the logistics of why he does what he does, the way he does, and when he does it. But he doesn't require from us logistic agreement, he just requires faith and obedience.
I believe we're living in such a time that our very survival, may hinge on the simple obedience to Gods directions, even when they don't make sense.
In the last two years, it seems like we have been on a rollercoaster in this country. And many times we haven't been able to make sense of what God has been doing, or not doing.
But I believe I have a revelation about that...
I believe God has been allowing us to feel that way, to bring us to the place where we can walk in simple obedience. God calls that faith.
I want to share this little story with you, I think it will add some gravity to this message. The story goes like this...
When we were kids, every so often our Dad would play a game with us. We took the same route to church, and home two to three times a week for years. So we thought we could tell where we were at without looking. So we would close our eyes, and Dad would start driving. And we would begin to navigate the route telling Dad where we were on the route, based on how fast or how slow we were going. And we did pretty good. So we would say... we're at such and such a place, and he would say, nope.
And we would be confused, because we thought we knew the way it was supposed to go. And we did. But what we left out of the equation was... Dad never told us he was going to stick to the route we knew. Even though we knew the route we had taken so many times, we weren't in the drivers seat.
So we would be confused, and we would think, we can't get home, we don't know where we're at. Then Dad would laugh and he would say... Just trust me I'll get you home. Even if it's not the route you're used to, or you're familiar with. I know where I'm going.
That little story is so powerful and I think God is saying the same thing to us today. He is saying, if you'll just trust me, I'll get you home. I'll get you through this... I know where I'm at, and I know where I'm going, even if you don't.
The story finishes with this,... Sometimes we would get aggravated at Dad because he wasn't keeping to our route. lol.
Friends, I wonder how many times we get aggravated at God, because he is not keeping to the route we planned for him?
We're wanting to close our eyes and tell God where to go, and what to do, based on what we're comfortable, and familiar with. But God wants us in a sense to close these natural eyes, and just trust him, and obey him, even when, and especially when he doesn't make sense.
If we ever get this principle it will be wonderful, because we will realize that it takes all the weight off of our shoulders... We don't have to understand the mechanics or the scientifics of it, all we have to do is... do it. All we have to do is trust and obey.
God says stretch out the rod over the sea Moses. But God, why? What's the logic behind that? Which end do I point? How long do I have hold it there. What is the angle I'm supposed to hold it? How is holding my rod over the sea going to affect the water?
But God doesn't get involved in any of that, he just says do it.
Fill the water pots with water, but they're asking for wine, not water. Just do it.
I'm going to say something pretty big here. As Christians, our biggest problem is not with the devil. Our biggest problem is with.... Why God why? When God when? And how God how?
There's an amazing little chorus that says what we should be saying to God. It goes like this... I'll say yes Lord yes, to your will and to your way. I'll say yes Lord yes, I will trust you and obey. When your Spirit speaks to me, with my whole heart I'll agree, and my answer will be yes, Lord yes.
What do you do when God doesn't make sense?
When he doesn't move the way you want him to?
When healing comes in stages, instead of instantly?
When the financial break through seems like it will never come?
When the children you've prayed for, and wept and travailed over, seem farther away from God than ever?
When you drop your ballot in the box, but you don't get who you voted for?
What do you do? What is the correct response?
You keep on praising him.
You keep thanking him.
You acknowledge that he knows what he is doing.
You trust his timing.
The main thing is that we keep praising him, because praise is the voice of faith.
Praise and be raised, or complain and remain.
Sometimes God says march.
Sometimes God says stand still.
Sometimes God says be quiet.
Sometimes God says shout.
Sometimes God says wait for the waters to part.
Sometimes God says step in, so the waters can part.
Sometimes God says run to the battle.
Sometimes God says, wait for the rustling of the mulberry trees.
Sometimes God says go.
Sometimes God says stay.
Somtimes he says yes, and sometimes he says no, and sometimes he says... not right now.
Sometimes what God tells you to do, will be the most illogical move that could possibly be made.
In Joshua Chapter 3...The Jordan river was at flood stage, God said I'm going to take you across. Joshua said Hallelujah, how are you going to do it?
God said, tell the priest that bear the ark, to take off their shoes, and with the ark on their shoulders, wade out into the raging flood waters.
I can almost hear Joshua saying... that doesn't make any sense at all. Do you have a plan (b) that we could consider?
But Joshua obeyed, the priests stepped in, and the waters parted, and they crossed to the other side.
I don't know what crazy, illogical thing God might be asking of you, but I can tell you this... Your miracle, your healing, and your break through, is on the other side of obedience, even when it don't make sense.
