Keep Moving On

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By Kang Iyoes, Indonesia

We were on our way to the Promised Land. Yet ironically, our hearts were filled with both excitement and worry. We were excited to see the land that Joshua was leading us to; but when we saw Jericho’s strong and defensive walls, our joys gave way to fear. We would never reach the Promised Land, I thought to myself.

Then, Joshua shared with us what the Lord instructed him, “I have given you Jericho, its king, and all its strong warriors. You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days. Seven priests will walk ahead of the Ark, each carrying a ram’s horn. On the seventh day you are to march around the town seven times, with the priests blowing the horns. When you hear the priests give one long blast on the rams’ horns, have all the people shout as loud as they can. Then the walls of the town will collapse, and the people can charge straight into the town” (Joshua 6:2-5 nlt).

Uplifted and refreshed by God’s assurance, we went forth in obedience, casting off our fear and anxiety. So, we did as God had instructed and walked around the city, without questions, just walking, just moving. One day had passed, and nothing happened. I wondered to myself: What is going on?

The second day, we did the same thing, but still nothing happened. And so it was with the third day, the fourth day, the fifth and sixth day. The residents of Jericho began to laugh at us, but we pressed on, trusting in God.

On the seventh day, I noticed that Joshua rose early in the morning before dawn and went off to pray. I figured that he was asking God for direction and for Him to be with us. When the rest of us had woken up at dawn, we gathered together for our routine march around the walls of Jericho. And Joshua said to us, “My brothers, six times we have walked around the city. Today is the last day. This is the day that the Lord will hand over this town to us. We will go round the city seven times today, and when I give the command, let the trumpet sounds and we shall give a loud cheer for our Lord! Let’s do this and keep moving no matter what!”

I moved along with the rest of the Israelite army, round after round after round, with no words just sheer focus. I will trust in the Lord with all my heart, for He is great and worthy to be praised!

On the seventh round, the trumpets sounded, and then came Joshua’s command: “Shout! For the Lord has given you the town! Jericho and everything in it must be completely destroyed as an offering to the Lord. Only Rahab the prostitute and the others in her house will be spared, for she protected our spies” (Joshua 6:16-17).

Suddenly, a mighty roar erupted from all around me, and in the blink of an eye, the solid rock walls of Jericho crumbled to the ground like a pile of dry straw. The defense that was seemingly so powerful fell to an even more powerful authority—our Lord.

I looked at the land that had been defeated, not by us but by the Lord’s power. Seven days ago, I was filled with uncertainty because of the challenges and obstacles before us. Many of us were crippled with fear, unable to move on. But this “wall-tumbling” experience from the Lord has taught me to keep moving on even though it seems like everything is not going well, to keep moving on even when God is silent, to keep moving on and focus on God.

“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1: 9).