Ever notice God seems to enjoy creating opportunities for us to grow in faith?

One of the big questions pastors are asked is, “What is God’s will for my life?” People really want to know what is God’s path for their life. They want to know which relationships they should pursue. They want to know which job they should take. The quest for certainty goes on and on.

Yet, when I read the biblical account, God seems to create uncertainty for the sake of helping our faith grow. I wonder what you think of this idea – uncertainty is the opposite of faith. The story of the battle of Jericho in Joshua 6 seems to be an example of this.

In Joshua 6:3 God instructs Joshua, “You and your fighting men should march around the town once a day for six days.” Joshua then gives these instructions to the people.

One of the more interesting verses to me is verse 14. “On the second day they again marched around the town once and returned to the camp. They followed this pattern for six days.” Joshua 6:14

Try to imagine what would be going through your mind as you were doing this. I’m convinced many of us would be discouraged and confused. It would be difficult for us to understand what God is doing, and certainly why God is doing it this way.

How many times in your life do you find yourself in that exact place?

I’m convinced God does this to instill faith in the people of Israel. God is going to bring about victory in our lives, but the path to victory will seldom look as straightforward as we’d like! Why? Because God is building our faith. God’s pattern is to do things to help us believe only God could have done this.

In the Gospel, I can only find two things that amaze Jesus. Here they are:

When Jesus heard this, he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, “I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel! Matthew 8:10

And he was amazed at their unbelief. Mark 6:6

Jesus is amazed when he sees great faith, and when he sees a lack of faith. 

Questions for reflection:

  • Think about a time in your life when God grew your faith through a series of confusing or seemingly silly events (like silently walking around Jericho for six days).
  • When Jesus looks at your life would he be amazed by your great faith, or your lack of faith? Why?