Thankfulness - Joshua 10:32

The Lord gave Lachish into the hands of Israel

-          Joshua 10:32

“The Lord gave ___ into the hands of Israel.” This simple phrase is repeated time after time as the Lord’s chosen people claimed victory over the inhabitants of Canaan. While this phrase is small, it speaks volumes about how the author perceived what was happening. The author correctly states the situation. It is not the might of Israel that is bringing victory but rather the Lord delivering it.

We could stand a shift in our thinking. We revel in our successes be they professional, academic, or personal. We reflect upon the work we put in (or didn’t put in) that brought about victory. Yet our eyes are clouded by this world’s shadows. It is not our might or guile that brings success but rather the Lord who has prepared good works that we would walk in them. If we claim our victories as our own, we are denying the power of God and putting too much stock in ourselves, as if we were capable of anything on our own. We must not let this prideful thinking into our lives but rather when success and victory come, boast not in ourselves but in the Lord who created and arranged all things for His glory and our benefit. In everything we should be thankful for what has been provided. Let us be overcome by a spirit of thankfulness to God for all that He has provided for us; that we have a Father who does not forget His children.

In ourselves we are nothing but our heavenly Father is powerful and gives good gifts. In ourselves we are capable of nothing but the Lord is capable of anything. We are weak but He is power. We are strong only because He gives us strength. Glory to the Lord Most High.