Deal with It

{This frame is one of my favorites that we own, & hangs on our bedroom wall. I especially love the map of the world as the backdrop, because we do not have borders of our own to hold us from seeing God's vast world. Take us there, Lord!}

As I am reading the book of Joshua, I notice numerous hidden teachings God exposes through this book, & into my personal everyday life. Now, not necessarily "hidden," but more of, ya gotta seek in order to find, type of doctrine.

In Joshua 11:6-11, God says to Joshua, "Do not be afraid of them" (them, being the enemies). Joshua demonstrates his reliance on God's Word by being consistent in his faithfulness toward God. Yes, Joshua encountered extreme hardships while defeating the Canaanites, & rightfully so, as they were among the most evil people to live, but Joshua had God's interactive reassurance that He would not forsake him in the process. It is my understanding that God spoke to Joshua as one friend would speak to another here on earth: audibly (as in, Joshua literally heard the voice of God). Hearing from God in this purest form seems rare, as many of us, including myself, do not have a literal audible recollection of God's promises. This can make it more difficult to "not be afraid" of whatever lies in front of me, or us, because (to me) it means the faith activation may need to be higher than what Joshua's was. I am not saying Joshua needed little faith to overcome & complete what he did; I *think* it would be slightly easier to "just deal with it" & press on, whatever "it" is, full-well knowing that I have specifically & verbally heard from God, reassuring me that He is going to fully see me through it, regarding the particular situation set forth before me.

The book of Joshua further discusses the outcome that "rest" had on Joshua's people who grew complacent with their tasks. They were to use their land of victory to continue conquering enemies; their work was not meant to come to an end. After Joshua and the other elders died, the new leaders ignored their personal responsibility to honor God among the next generation by telling God's stories of His faithfulness, and training the next generation, by example of what God had personally done for them. Result of their "rest:" another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Joshua & Israel.

This right here strikes me in all the feels: do you long & pray from "rest of war" to bring easy living? Or do you pray for vigilance and revival in yourself and among the next generation?

Look at the result of "rest of war" in Joshua's people. Yes, God saw them through their battle that was bigger than themselves, but they stopped there. They did not use their extraordinary victory fully for His glory, for what it was purposefully intended for. They became selfish. And yes, easy living is easier, & more ideal of course, but ponder for a hot minute about why we as humans are placed on this earth... it is not for ourselves.

It is easier to pray for that "rest of war" because yes, I just don't want to deal with it (& for me, that "it" is an on-going battle of a physical diagnosis that disrupts not just a overwhelming seeming large portion of my physical well-being, but seeps its way into my emotional realm, too). And oh yes, I have prayed for that "rest of war" over & over, only to realize that may not be God's full plan. It takes training of the mind & God's kind grace to change my habitual prayer from "please, just give me rest from this dang war," to "I ask for pure awareness of your power, revival in my body in your time, & to use this victory to help many others in the future to see your faithfulness." Some days are easier to pray the latter half of the above sentence, while other days it feels merely impossible (an ever-learning lesson for me still: I cannot live by what I feel). It takes discipline to be selfless in certain circumstances. God's purpose for suffering may be hard to grasp & tempt one to want to cave in to an alternative: compromise.

My suffering does not essentially yield any "moral" compromise, as that is not my personal battle, but it can easily increase the temptations to quit praying & over time, stop believing in His Word.

But...

This changed me: I let God meet me where I am. Not where I ought to be, or where I think I should be, or a goal I am striving for by a certain day in a month, or in comparison to others, or what "the average" looks like, or somewhere in the middle... No. Where I currently am - physically, mentally, emotionally...all of it. Whether that means God has to come 87% toward me, while I am only able to come to him at 13%, so be it. I am (slowly) learning to break down the ridiculous barrier of false expectation & just let God meet me. How I know that this is true: because God's grace is always enough. His grace does not stipulate where I have be in order for him to extend it to me.

Rather than having an outlook of "rest of war," I have slowly transitioned that to having an outlook of "rest in Him." I can rest in the midst of my everyday struggles by remaining unshakable in Him & His promises. Five words I recite daily (yes, still. I remember writing a blog in the beginning of 2018 stating that I say this phrase): "Thank you for healing me" ...I say this even when I fully do not feel healed; I actually say it more so when I am feeling my worst, because I know His promises remain the same yesterday, today, & tomorrow. While God did not promise immunity from total unhealthiness, He did promise a fruitful life as I love Him & obey His Word. Joshua believed in his fruitful life, & continued to trust the all-seeing, all-knowing, & all-loving, just God. Even when Joshua could not see the end victory with his own eyes yet, he knew it was coming. And I believe that fruitful life includes my healing portion, that is overflowing & completely running over, so much that I can cannot even comprehend how to display His full glory & goodness, but praying I can articulate it enough for others to see & know that He is good.

My sisters & I periodically text each other this in our group chat, each saying our part of the phrase, waiting for the other sister to respond: "Ashley: God is good. Courtney: All the time. Natalie: And all the time, God is good."

Even when we have to deal with "it," God will meet us right there, wherever and whatever that "there" looks like because God is still good, all the time. And let me tell ya... all the time, God is good.