By faith, the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days. Hebrews 11:30
Some members of the town council had vowed they would never allow a Gospel tent to be set up in the northern Nova Scotia town of Oxford. But approval by town councillors was needed for such a tent, and Hiel Patterson – permit form in hand – set out to get it. As he started out, he encountered a member of the town police force, and told him what he was about to do. The officer, a Christian, declared, ‘Let’s go get those signatures!’ Off they went, and the policeman took charge. He practically ordered the mayor and each councillor to sign, including the man who was the most opposed to the Gospel. Souls were saved in that tent, and eventually, an Assembly was planted in that town. God still is capable of causing walls to fall for those with faith.
Marching around Jericho for seven days was a tedious task. Persistence was needed, and faith, coupled with obedience to God’s command. The Israelites were doing what God told them to do, and they were expecting the result that God promised. Those same two steps are required for blessing today. The compassing of the walls and the long marches did not cause the walls to fall. God brought down the walls. But if the Israelites had not marched, God would not have worked. Miracles work the same way today, they always follow obedience and faith.
If you are like me, you wonder when little is accomplished – for example if there is very little stir during a Gospel series – whether our faith is strong enough. Have we placed enough trust in God to work and move, and to bring about the results we desire? Did you notice that nowhere in the Jericho account do we read of how much faith Joshua and his band had? No, we read only of what they did. They put their faith into shoe leather. Are there things that God wants us to do as part of His promise to bless us? Are we doing those things? Are we persisting in those things until the blessings come. Are we marching until the walls fall?
Faith without works is dead. But faith with works is alive and powerful, because God can see evidence that we believe Him. – Jim MacIntosh