Spend time in prayer and silence with God asking him to meet you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel. And they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Long ago, your fathers lived beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor; and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan, and made his offspring many. I gave him Isaac. And to Isaac I gave Jacob and Esau. And I gave Esau the hill country of Seir to possess, but Jacob and his children went down to Egypt. And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out.
“‘Then I brought your fathers out of Egypt, and you came to the sea. And the Egyptians pursued your fathers with chariots and horsemen to the Red Sea. And when they cried to the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians and made the sea come upon them and cover them; and your eyes saw what I did in Egypt. And you lived in the wilderness a long time. Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites, who lived on the other side of the Jordan. They fought with you, and I gave them into your hand, and you took possession of their land, and I destroyed them before you. Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and fought against Israel. And he sent and invited Balaam the son of Beor to curse you, but I would not listen to Balaam. Indeed, he blessed you. So I delivered you out of his hand. And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand. And I sent the hornet before you, which drove them out before you, the two kings of the Amorites; it was not by your sword or by your bow. I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’
– Joshua 24:1-13
Devotion
History is important – not because it demonstrates one’s ability to remember facts, but because it gives us perspective for the present. As Joshua begins his final charge to the entire nation, he begins with a review lesson. He begins with God’s hand from the humble beginnings of the nation, and takes them through years of history. Joshua was witness to many of the events of which he spoke.
When we remember what God has done in the past, it creates a solid foundation for our perspective on the events of the present. Because God is God and He has all the power necessary to act and all the goodness to do what’s best for us, I can always have confidence. Not because I know what will happen, but because I know He’s doing what is best.
The Big Question
What is your past with God? Take some time today to think through some of what God has done for you. Praise Him for what He has done. Trust Him with whatever is going on now.
Conclude in prayer and silence, reflecting on what you’ve learned.