Hear, Obey, Act, Move in FAITH

"So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: "Go through the camp and tell the people, "Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God id giving you for your own. "
(Joshua 1:10)

What will cause us to pray BIG PRAYERS that move us in faith and total dependency on God? One answer that came out from our weekly Pastoral Staff Q+C (Questions and Contribution) Time is when one is in desperate need and no one can come through for us except God alone.

How true. There are countless times I felt like Moses facing the Red Sea with the Israelites. There is no turning back with the pursuing Egyptian enemies behind. The desert on their south, mountains and pagan enemies on their north. The only way is to lead his people to cross the Red Sea - forward movement. The timeless unchangeable truth remains: God is attracted to humble, boldness and helpless and BIG prayers. Simply, He delights to see faith in action.

I recalled the journey I had taken with my Chinese Core Team as I lead them in the Chinese Ministry. God gave me Josh 1:10 and what struck me was the word 'three days'. The Joshua generation had been staying in the wilderness for forty years. They had settled for the comfortable, familiar and routine. What makes them different from the Moses generation? The Lord commanded Joshua to lead the Joshua generation out to Jordan in three days time? Not a very long time for them to 'get prepare and ready'. This is a very bold move. What causes Joshua to dare to take that move? What it takes for one to move in Big Faith, praying Big Prayers, believing in a Big God?

Through observation of the scripture, I saw a few principles and truth in place.

1) They possess the Vision. The Vision possess them.

The Israelites were given the Promised Land. It was a vision yet to be fulfilled and needed to possess. The Moses generation had missed it, not the Joshua generation. They refused to settle for the 'usual' because they knew the Promise Land is in God's will. They see it, want it and longed for it. Forty years had been a long time. They were comfortable yet bored with the wilderness desert. They were longing for the milk and honey land. They were satisfied with 'steam manna', 'boiled manna', 'fried manna', (any more recipes?) yet graved for 'milk and honey' foodstuff. They were promised the land with milk and honey, not sand and dried grass. They possessed the vision of the Promised Land, knowing that the Promised Land possessed them. The Vision is too big, too difficult and it takes God. Yes, they want it!

2) They were a 'Certain Kind'
Desperation can drive one to resign or to arise. The Joshua people refused to settle for what is seemingly normal. They were called to live an 'abnormal and uncomfortable' life. Now the time had come. God had commanded them to move. It thrilled them, this is of God." It is a not a question, "Should we go?", it is a question, "When should we go?" God had spoken. "Let's go" is their only answer. The same God that commanded will bring them through. In fact, they had no clue what was lying ahead of them. Their vocabulary were words like uncertainty and unchartered paths. Yet they were prepared and ready, humbled yet bold, desperate yet assured. They are God's ready warriors. They have a certain kind of 'factor'. They belonged to the certain kind.

3) They have a BIG GOD
The Joshua's generation knew their God. They knew He is dependable. They live to witness His power, providing them manna 'dropping' from heaven. Clothes and shoes that were never worn out. They saw how a faithless Moses generation perished and were certain, 'Faith moved God' principle. Ultimately, they have a BIG GOD and they can Dream BIG, pray BIG PRAYERS. That is probably why they only asked for one thing when Joshua prepared them to move in three days time, that 'only the LORD your God be with you." (Josh 1:17). They pledged obedience to Him, they acted in faith and leave the rest to God alone who can handled.

That was probably why three days to move on is not an issue with them. They did not spend their time and energy debating the will of God, the ways of God and the timing of God. They dreamed. They obeyed. They moved. They acted and they continue to trust Him.

My conclusion:
It is time to pray uncomfortable and big prayers that only God can act and fulfilled. Unless God comes through for us, we are 'doomed'. This broken and contrite state will drive us on our knees in desperation to depend on God. Yet He will be remained BIG for us.

I asked my team this question to my Chinese Core Team, "Are you in it with me and God? If we die, we die in the Promised Land."

And I am thankful, God had given me the best of the best mighty men and women - a certain kind.