Jericho's Time-Tested Lesson

Jericho’s Time-Tested Lesson
  
Jericho is one of the oldest cities in the world, as well as being one of the world’s longest continually inhabited cities. It is mentioned in a number of places in the Bible, but two of its biblical references are most noteworthy. The first occurs in the book of Joshua, where God shows up on behalf of his people through a rousing display of worship, demonstrated by marching and instruments and shouting, all of which combine to bring down the city’s impenetrable walls and ensuring defeat of those inside. The second occurs in the ministry of Jesus, where two unlikely individuals, blind Bartimaeus and little Zacchaeus, both meet Jesus and begin to follow him as disciples.

Though the presence and work of the Lord is present in both of these instances, each of which occur in the same geographical location, the way in which he works is vastly different between the two. In the first instance his power is loud and earth-shattering and observable to thousands, while in the second his power is more personal and intimate and observable to only a few. However, in each instance, what is required in order to experience him is faith. Do you and I have faith that the Lord works in different ways in different times? Though he may have worked a certain way in our lives before doesn’t mean that he will work exactly that same way again. Can we have faith that he knows how we best need to experience him in the specific season we find ourselves in today? Jericho reminds us of this important lesson.