Is it Our Plans or God’s Power?

Power is Better Than Plans

Read: Joshua 5

”And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.” (Joshua 5:1)

The opening of chapter five is that of both awe and wonder. The first verse inspires the people of God, as they observe the fear of their enemies (5:1). This is not a fear of their enemies but, rather, a fear from their enemies. This is a fear that not only melted their hearts, but banished their hope. It is interesting to note that this fear was not produced because of the work of God. The latter part of verse one reveals that this fear was “because of the children of Israel.” What an incredible statement! The victories of God’s people (5:1a) had bred terror in the hearts of their enemies.

Why is it that God’s people no longer cause hearts to melt?

Why do the enemies of God no longer fear the people of God? Could it be that God’s people no longer experience victories over the world in their lives? Sadly, we are living in a day when Christian victories are seen as the miraculous exceptions and not the norm. It is true that the proponents of Charismatic theology have espoused the “you can have a miracle today” attitude, and this does not correspond with the Scriptures. However, it is scriptural teaching, that a believer can have victories in this world (cf. I Jn. 5:4, “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith“).

It must be observed that these people had recently beheld the miraculous parting of the Jordan River (Jos. 2). They had walked through the flooding Jordan on dry land. These are the same people that had seen the miraculous provision of God over the past forty years. These were years in which their clothing did not wear out, nor did their shoes need replacing (Duet. 29:5). Thus, it may be thought that it was a simple thing for them to conquer kings. Yet, their obstacles and dangers were just as real as ours today. We may not behold the parting of rivers, and our clothing may wear and need replacing. However, God is still in the business of demonstrating His power for His glory. When was the last time that we saw something done that could only be attributed to the power of God? When was the last time we saw God work and our “Plan B” was not needed?

God’s power will triumph over man’s plan on any day. While we may not need a river parted today, we do need to see God’s divine power at work in our lives today. Oh, that God’s people might be sanctified (cf. Jos. 3:5) and useable of God. Then, God can be truly glorified as He does His work.