Must I Be Carried to the Skies On Flowery Beds of Ease?
Joshua 23: 4 Behold, I have allotted to you as an inheritance for your tribes those nations that remain, along with all the nations that I have already cut off, from the Jordan to the Great Sea in the west. 5 The Lord your God will push them back before you and drive them out of your sight. And you shall possess their land, just as the Lord your God promised you. …10 One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as he promised you.
This is a very instructive teaching at the end of Joshua. Joshua is giving his final instructions to the tribes of Israel. What he tells them here is that by his design they still have enemies to face in their tribal areas. The battles are not over. They too must fight to enter into the promised rest. This is exactly why God has each of us here on the earth. He has allotted us enemies that we must conquer. Notice that neither does God ever say “Let go and let God.” No, he calls us to face our enemies. Notice verse ten above. It tells us that the enemies that God allots to us will overwhelm us, if God does not fight for us. We will at least be out-numbered by a thousand to one! God designs that we will be overwhelmed so that we will work and trust at the same time.
As James says, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” We are called to faith and action. We know that our action cannot achieve the victory unless God in his grace chooses to bless us.
Be encouraged in your struggles. Our Good King allots the troubles you face. He commands us to work for solutions and pray for victory.
Remember the old Isaac Watts hymn:
Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
Sure I must fight if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord.
I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy Word.
