Joshua had given orders to the people, “Don’t shout. In fact, don’t even speak—not so much as a whisper until you hear me say, ‘Shout!’—then shout away!” Joshua 6:10 (MSG)
The people of Israel were camped outside the city of Jericho. The city was shut up tight because of the people of Israel. No one dared come in or out. They had heard about Israel’s God. This way, the residents of Jericho thought they were safe.
God told the people to march around the city once a day for six days. Do nothing. Just march. Say nothing. Just keep walking.
I wonder what they thought about this plan. There were a lot of people marching around the city. Do you think some of them wanted to complain because this seemed silly? Were there people who thought they had a better plan of attack? How about folks who knew all about fortified walls and were sure they could come up with something more effective?
What about us? When we are doing the same routine day in and day out with no end in sight, are we more apt to complain? Do we voice out loud the fact that God is not doing anything to change our current situation? Or do we keep walking? Do we trust that God has a plan and he is working that plan out even if we can’t see how it’s going to come together?
There are times, even when we want to do something different, we need to just keep walking. We need to trust that God’s plan is coming together. We may not see how he is going to bring the walls down, but one day we will. That’s when we get to shout!