Trusting God

They said to Joshua, “Truly the LORD has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.”

Joshua 2:24

When Joshua sent the spies into Jericho, he must have recalled what had happened to the twelve spies forty years earlier. This time Joshua chose men with trusting, faithful hearts who would take God at His Word and not panic. Despite a narrow escape, the explorers returned with a good report.

The Lord is still looking for people who will trust Him. Too many of us get upset and angry in the face of pain and problems. Such reactions, though natural, are unhealthy. A recent study found hostility a bigger predictor of coronary heart disease than high cholesterol, smoking, or obesity. Those who respond to adversity with anger or acute anxiety may trigger such conditions as cardiac arrhythmia.

Faith, however, calms us. It was the inhabitants of Jericho, not the spies, who were fainthearted in this story. How wonderful to say, “With God, we can be victorious.”

How wonderful to live by faith, not by fear.