Are We For Him?

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?" - Joshua 5:13

Sometimes it is possible, in the course of accomplishing some great task for God, to forget who it is we serve and the purpose or reason why we serve Him.

Joshua had been repeatedly affirmed by God as the successor to Moses and the next leader of Israel. No doubt, as he drew closer and closer to his first enemy target (Jericho), Joshua began to formulate his own plan of attack. To have been interrupted and confronted by God along the way must have been a little confusing, but it also served an important purpose. The confrontation surely reminded Joshua that an Almighty God only serves Himself.

Wasn't God for Joshua and Israel?

No, God was for Himself, and He still is. It may sound a bit self-serving, but God's greatest glory is still our greatest good and instead of asking if He is for us, perhaps we should be wondering if we are for Him. For if we are (for Him, that is), then we should expect His interruptions, welcome them, and willingly submit even when the plan supersedes our own and beyond our understanding.

If God cares enough to intervene (by His Word, wise counsel, or other form of divine interruption), then maybe we should care enough to listen.

Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee. - Augustine