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In 1961, President Kennedy declared that we should land a man on the moon within 10 years. Under NASA’s leadership, we reached that goal in 1969. Today, after 50 years of space discovery, we are about to explore mars and beyond. One day, people may take a vacation on the moon. Such lofty goals require planning. When God assigned Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land, he too, needed a plan. We learn from Joshua 5 that after crossing the Jordan River, his first step was to circumcise all males and celebrate the Passover. These two events recalled God’s past deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Celebrating God’s past blessings builds confidence for future tasks. Next, Joshua made a personal visit to scout out Jericho–the first city he intended to conquer. He had God’s promise of victory; still he needed to do his homework. As he scouted the city, a man met him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua asked the man if he was a friend or a foe. The man replied, “I am neither. I am the commander of the LORD’S army.” In other words, “He had not come to take sides but to take charge.” Joshua fell on his face and said, “I am at your command.” Joshua then followed God’s orders and took the city. When God assigns us a job to do, we should ask God for guidance, do our research, set goals, lay out the steps, and trust God to help us take each step.
