God is not on our side (We're on His)

Reference: Joshua 5:13-14 When Joshua was near the town of Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with sword in hand. Joshua went up to him and demanded, “Are you friend or foe?”  14 “Neither one,” he replied. “I am the commander of the Lord’s army.”  At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. “I am at your command,” Joshua said. “What do you want your servant to do?”

Observation:  As Americans we want to believe that we, uniquely, have God behind us. That He is on our side against all enemies foreign or domestic. In this passage Joshua's interaction with the supernatual being makes a very powerful point. Joshua was wanting to know whether this person he was confronting was someone he needed to fight or someone who would line up behind him as their general. Instead, he found out that it was someone he needed to submit to. It was't a matter of being a friend or foe, it was a matter of who was in charge.

We must relate to God like that. He certainly wants to bless us but He is never at our command. Our job is not to tell Him what to do but to ask Him what He would like us to be doing. We need to get going with His agenda and plan. This is the only right place to live when it comes to God.

Application/Confession: There are so many things I want God to do for me. I want to be the commander and have Him follow my orders. I hear Him calling me to submit to Him as my commander. I must do it.

PRAYER: Lord, You alone are my commander-in-chief. I choose to submit to You. Forgive me for even thinking for a moment that You are under my command. I am utterly under Yours.