It was a remarkable statement! Joshua uttered those memorable words before a large throng of people who would know about its truthfulness, yet no one could raise an objection. He spoke about the special promises his people had received from God and declared that each and every one of them had been fully carried out in their presence. When first given, some of those promises seemed impossible. God told Abraham he would be the father of as many children as stars in the heavens, yet both he and Sarah were childless and well beyond their child-bearing years. Sarah even laughed at the thought. But Joshua, and all those listening to him, knew they were part of the complete fulfillment of that promise.
Later, those Children of the Promise were a weak, homeless people. For two to three generations, they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness, getting nowhere. Yet God told this powerless group they would rise up and overthrow the mighty inhabitants of the neighboring lands. An impossible task, they thought, but there they were, completely victorious, freely living in the very land promised to them.
What meaning does that have for us today? If God was able to fulfill those “impossible promises” in their entirety, will not the God who never changes be able to carry forth on the promises still before us? Jesus said one day he would return to this earth and it is written every eye will see him. We are told of a resurrection of saints from their graves, followed by a blessed reunion with our loved ones. There are promises about a new heavenly city with streets of gold, that needs neither the sun nor the moon for its light. It will be a wonderful world, with no more pain, weeping or death. A beautiful, but an impossible dream, many have said. Yet Joshua, who was part of more than one of God’s great promises, would remind us, our God fully keeps all that he has spoken. Keep trusting in the God of those “impossible dreams”!
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Robert W. Price, Spring City, Pa.
Extended Scripture: Joshua 20–22 (NIV)
