We will be discussed today about the fourth and final dimension of the sacrificing (paying the price), i.e.: God’s Dependence (Rely on God). Why is this the last dimension, but not the least? Since as humans, we tend to forget relying on God. Relying on God is a form of sacrificing, denying the flesh.
Matthew 16:24: Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
For some people, including me, this is a difficult thing. Why so? I am among those who consistently observe, analyze, and draw conclusions based on what I observe. It is difficult for me to surrender fully.
Fully surrender is one of the proofs that you rely on the Lord. One thing I still hold on tightly is the control of situation. When facts collide with faith, that’s where the conflict begins.
This is what God asked me today: relying on God. No matter whatever situation, God’s willing I rely on Him. I believe this is also what God wants you to do.
Related to relying on God, I’ll take the fall of Jericho’s wall (Joshua 6). I am sure many of you have already known this story. However, it’s okay. I’ll repeat it here.
The people of Israel after free from slavery in Egypt, by crossing the Red Sea, they entered the desert. They continue walking to reach Canaan (the promised land) which God has promised them.
Since they did not obey the Lord and they liked turning to the worship other gods, God let them circling around in the desert for 40 years. However, as a chosen nation, God, although allow them to be forged in the desert, do not let them lack of:
- Food (in the form of manna) (Exodus 16),
- Water (which was available miraculously) (Ex. 15:22-27, 17:1-7),
- Protection (in the form of an angel who walked in front of the Israelites) (Exodus 23:20),
- Good weather (the pillar of cloud so they were not too hot in the daytime and a pillar of fire for lighting) (Exodus 13:21),
- Clothes and footwear that were not damaged during 40 years (Deuteronomy 29:5). Imagine if there was a garment and footwear factories that made clothes and shoes/ sandals like that.
The people of Israel actually did not have to wandering in the desert for 40 years, if only they were obedient to God. Unfortunately their heart tended in the Egypt which they left behind. Egypt talks about carnality.
Although the Lord has freed people of Israel from Egypt, their hearts were still attached there. It’s like God has freed us all from our sins, but often the temptation of Egypt (flesh) drag us to sin.
Imagine someone who had stranded in the desert for 40 years. Then finally there was the day Israelites crossed the Jordan River to reach the Land of Canaan, the land which they desired for 40 years. This is the same with us when we want something badly, after waiting for so long finally reached the day.
In the midst of joy to receive the promised land of God, somehow the beautiful country had been occupied by other nations. It happened because Israelites was too hard-hearted. They did not want to obey God, so that eventually the empty Promised Land was occupied by other nations. To occupy the land of Canaan, Israelites needed to occupy a number of cities. The first city to be occupied was Jericho.
Jericho’s conditions was written in Joshua 6:1 and 6:5. It was a town surrounded by defensive walls and a gate as an entrance. If you often watch war movies, it is a usual condition for you. It’s a common thing for the defense of a city/area to establish defensive walls.
I found interesting things in Joshua 6:2-5. God wanted to hand over Jericho, however in a way that was not common for human thought. God told Joshua that he and and all of the soldiers had to walk circling the city of Jericho one time and this was done for six days. On the seventh day, they had to walk seven times circling the city and the priests had to blow the trumpets. When the sound of the trumpet sounded loud, the entire Israelites had to cheer loudly, and the walls of Jericho would crumble.
How strange it was, wasn’t it? Even it was so absurd! Yes, anything that exists in the mind of God is very different from human thought. Another interesting thing is written in Joshua 6:6-21. What God commanded in Joshua 6:2-5 was carried out by Joshua and the entire Israelites. The end result was they could take over the city of Jericho.
Several things we can learn about relying on God in the crumble of Jericho’s wall:
1. God’s way is not the human’s way. His design is not human’s design.
Isaiah 55:9: “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.
God’s way sometimes bizarre and absurd. What was the connection between walking circling of city of Jericho and on the seventh day after hearing the trumpet’s sound, the whole nation had to cheer loudly?
It was very unreasonable, wasn’t it? Men should go to war with swords, machetes, guns, pistols, rifles, grenades, dynamite, nuclear, or even chemical and biological weapons. Right?
However, when we rely on God, God sometimes gives way outside the human sense. When we rely on ourselves, we should pour out all of strengths, strategies, troops, weapons, and logistics to be able to win the war. The result is we can win or lose.
However, when we do what God asked and we rely on God, it is God who will fight for us. Praise the Lord! First aspect of relying on God: believe in God’s command and will, although sometimes it is beyond human sense.
2. Relying on God doesn’t mean passive. It doesn’t mean desperate. Relying on God is active and dynamic heart attitude. In Joshua 6:21, besides what had they done, they didn’t stop until the crumble of Jericho’s wall. The Israelites climbbed it, went ahead, and took the city. It was a war. The second aspect of relying on God: actively do our part in accordance with the direction and guidance of God.
3. When Joshua listened God’s strange and unreasonable commands, he did not turn to other gods who might be able to give more senseable answers.
Sometimes when we pray and we doesn’t receive God’s answer, we become desperate, frustrated, disappointed, angry and maybe think that God does not hear our prayer, that God can not be relied upon. Furthermore, we ran to the other gods. It is a huge mistakes!
1 Samuel 12:21: Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.
Do not run to other gods who promise to help us. Those are the idols that will bring curse and misery in our lives.
When God asks for a sacrificing, He will return it and bless us more. However, Evil also imitates it. He asks for sacrificing too and as if he gives what we asked. However, Evil is not God. After giving what we asked for, he will demand more from us. There are too much heartbreaking story associated with this. Do not let this happen to you!
Zechariah 10:2: The idols speak deceit, diviners see visions that lie; they tell dreams that are false, they give comfort in vain. Therefore the people wander like sheep oppressed for lack of a shepherd.
Do not go to the soothsayer and the oracle. It is evilness in the eyes of God! Be careful! It’s not blesses you get, but curses instead. Maybe just for a moment as if you got the blessing. However, in the end it’s curse you get.
Do not believe all forms of soothsayer’s work: zodiac, feng shui, and so forth. The third aspect of relying on God: do not turn to other gods, but focus only on God.
4. Joshua did not rely on the power he had, i.e.: relying on the number of soldiers, weapons, or the experience, knowledge, and strategy of war he had. No! Joshua obeyed God’s commands. Joshua kept holding on God’s command, not his own strength.
Isaiah 31:1: Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, who rely on horses, who trust in the multitude of their chariots and in the great strength of their horsemen, but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD.
Further in
Jeremiah 17:5: This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who depends on flesh for his strength and whose heart turns away from the LORD.
Even in
Ezekiel 16:15: “But you trusted in your beauty and used your fame to become a prostitute. You lavished your favors on anyone who passed by and your beauty became his.
Remember, do not rely on ourselves: on our strength, intelligence, ability, wealth, power, beauty, and so on! Rely on God! Fourth aspect of relying on God: do not rely on yourself.
5. Joshua can safely move since he knows that God can be relied upon. He is a trusted God. He believes because he has experienced God’s own figures.
Jeremiah 17:7: “But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him.
Yes, this is God’s promise. God has never failed to keep its promise. He can be relied upon. He always hears our prayers. Moreover, He always answers our prayers.
The answer from God may take the form of three answers:
a. “Yes”, that God gives what we ask.
b. “No”, that God does not give what we ask.
c. “Wait”, that God gives what we asked but not now.
When God said “No”, it does not mean God does not answer our prayer. He knows the best for us. If God answers “No”, it means that God knows if He gave it, it would be damaging, dangerous, even deadful for us. He is a good heavenly father.
If he knows something that is dangerous for us, He won’t give it to us. He’s willing to have risks to be hated by His children. Here, there’s our maturity required to understand it.
As a parent who will refuse to give their children sweets constantly because those will damage the teeth of the children, God only thinks about our good.
When He said “Wait”, it does not mean God can not deliver what we ask now. Do not misunderstand! He is unlimited. Before you ask, God has already known your requests. He knows our needs more than ourselves. He is omniscient God.
The same with the answer “No”, the Lord only wants the best for us. When God said “Wait”, it’s because he knows the right time for us to accept it: when we are ready to accept it. Meanwhile, before we accept what we asked for, God prepares, forms, and processes us. The fifth aspect of relying on the Lord: trust and believe in the goodness of God, whatever his answer it is for our own good.
I’ll end today’s article with a small testimony. This is a testimony that I liked. Maybe some of you’ve also heard it from me. My testimony relates to a pink umbrella and crabs.
Here goes the story. I have several folding umbrella which I generally take it every day in my bag. One day I was using a pink shirt to the campus when it rained. I opened up my umbrella and then I noticed my umbrella’s color is blue (my favorite color hahahah). Then I thought to myself, “It’s blue. It doesn’t match with my clothes’ color.”
Sometimes I like to match the colors of clothing with umbrella I bring. So if I wear black clothes, I carry a black umbrella. If I wear blue shirt, I’ll bring blue umbrella hahahaha. It was already forgotten just like that.
One day my eldest sister called me. She said, “San, do you want folding umbrella? I’ve just bought it. I bought it half dozen since it’s the requirement from the seller.” I only answer, “Yes, please.” When the shipment arrived (because my sister lives in other town), I received a pink umbrella. Incredible, isn’t it?
The second case is about the crabs. Besides noodles, I really love eating crabs, especially if it is made by my mother. For your information, my mom is the best cook in the world! She is very good in cooking.
One time after a long time I did not eat crabs, it suddenly flashed on my mind, “Gee it’s been a long time I didn’t eat crabs.” That’s all. I did not do anything afterwards. Because the crab is not cheap, I did not ask it to my mother. After all, I won’t die if I do not eat crabs, will I?
Do you know what happens? Few days afterwards, my mother suddenly said, “I buy crabs today since it’s cheap. What kind of cook do you want?” Hallelujah, praise the Lord! Incredible!
Do you know why did I share these two little testimonies? Pink umbrella and crab are only my desires. I did not ask, let alone pray hahahahah.
It’s very far from it. I’m just wondering about it in my heart, however God knows and God hears. If I didn’t have pink umbrella or crab, would I die? Obviously I won’t. I have a lot of umbrellas I can use and I can eat other things as substitute to crab. However, why did the Lord give me? It’s merely a desire, it’s not a need.
From those two events, I think that God knows my tastes just right. He really knows and appreciates it. He loves me so much, so that He cares even for little things, let alone my needs, especially the big things that I pray.
I do not mean to suggest that small things do not need to be prayed. My point is that God understands whatever I want, let alone my needs. If God loves me so much, I also believe so does with you. What do you pray? What do you want? Rely on God! Be assured that God will provide, not only what you asked for, but also more than the best that you requested.
Amen.
