255 Joshua: When the Going Gets Tough

When the going gets tough—and the battles don’t end as quickly as we hoped—it’s easy to grow weary and discouraged. That’s where Israel found themselves in Joshua 11. Victory didn’t come in a single day or even a single campaign. It took years of relentless struggle.

After conquering the land in central and southern Canaan, Joshua turned his focus to the north. There, he was confronted by a huge coalition army. Not only was Joshua outnumbered 7-to-1, but for the first time in battle, he faced horses and chariots—terrifying and effective war machines of the Bronze Age.

Yet despite the odds, Joshua and his army ultimately triumphed. It didn’t happen easily, and it didn’t happen quickly. Estimates are that the Northern Campaign took more than seven years – seven painful, bloody years.

Here’s what we need to understand.  There is no record in chapter 11 of any sort of dramatic supernatural intervention. No rivers that parted…no walls that fell down…no hail from the sky…and no sun standing still.  For seven long years, God’s people had to fight day after day after day.

And that’s something we need to grasp in our day.

Sometimes God demonstrates that He is with us by moving in dramatic ways, which result in a quick victory. 

Other times, God demonstrates that He is with us by enabling us to doggedly fight on over the long haul.

What can we learn from Joshua that can help us keep going when the going gets tough? 

1.     Joshua demonstrated an unwavering trust in God. 

Joshua trusted that the God who had promised him ultimate victory would eventually take him there—even though there was pain and struggle along the way. Courageous faith soldiers on.  

2.     Joshua demonstrated an uncompromising obedience to God. 

When the going gets tough, it’s easy to begin cutting corners. A bit of compromise here or there. But Joshua recognized that the end does not justify the means. Obeying, even when it was difficult or didn’t make sense, was the key to success.

3.     Joshua demonstrated an unfaltering perseverance with God. 

When the going gets tough, it’s no easy thing to keep on fighting day after day after day. Yet, during those long years of struggle and battle, Joshua never gave in…he never gave out…he never gave up.  And in the end, he realized victory.

Text: Joshua 11 

Originally recorded on October 30, 2016, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN