JULY 5, Joshua 3:1

Joshua had a good habit. He “rose early in the morning.” The Bible mentions that he rose early on three other occasions. On each occasion, God had some especially important business for him to attend to.

On this particular day, he would be leading the people across the River Jordan. The waters were at the highest at this time and there were neither boat nor ship to ferry the hundreds of thousands of people over! It would be an enormous task. However, God already had a plan for them.

What do you think was the first thing that Joshua did early that morning? Yes, he would first praise God for whom He is. Then he would ask God for directions on what to do on that day. He believed that God would already have the best plan. He had the desire to do things according to God’s instructions. Crossing the River Jordan on foot is impossible for any man but God has His way. All the people had to do was to faithfully follow God’s instructions.

Similarly, we ought to wake up early every morning to spend time with God, to praise and pray to God. God will be pleased for He is interested in our problems no matter how small they may seem.

There were 3 other occasions when Joshua “rose early in the morning”. These are recorded in Joshua 6:12, 7:16 and 8:10. Fill in the blanks to find out the tasks that Joshua had to do:

          1. The important task was to prepare the people to attack the city of
              __________ . (Joshua 6:2)

          2. The important task was to find out who in their camp had sinned
              against God by taking valuables from that city. The culprit was
              __________ . Joshua 7:19-20:

          3. The important task was to number the people in preparation to
              attack the city of __________ . (Joshua 8:1)

Thought: Do I think of God the moment I wake up in the morning?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to begin each day in prayer and in the study of Thy Word. In Jesus’ name I pray - Amen.