Taking Advantage of God's Word

Joshua 21:1 (ESV) Then the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came to Eleazar the priest and to Joshua the son of Nun and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the people of Israel.

In Joshua 21, the Levites come to Shiloh and ask for their cities which Moses promised them before entrance into the land.

Joshua 21:2–3 (ESV) And they said to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, “The LORD commanded through Moses that we be given cities to dwell in, along with their pasturelands for our livestock.” 3 So by command of the LORD the people of Israel gave to the Levites the following cities and pasturelands out of their inheritance.

Notice again the emphasis in Joshua that what was said through Moses is fulfilled through Joshua. This is a common theme in the book that teaches us how to read God's Word. There is promise and there is fulfillment. We need to know and remember the promise so we can recognize and request the fulfillment. Sometimes our lives are terrible because we haven't bothered to read what God said He would do and therefore never ask Him. For instance, consider these promises:

Philippians 4:19 (ESV) And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 18:3 (ESV) I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.

Psalm 23:4 (ESV) Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Philippians 4:6–7 (ESV) do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 5:14–15 (ESV) Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

Matthew 7:9–11 (ESV) Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!

Do you know what God has promised you? Are you calling out to Him with those reminders? Are you acting on them? Are you being bold like the heads of the Levites in Joshua 21 to REMIND your true and better Joshua and Great High Priest of what was promised you? The Levites held on to their promise from Moses through the 7-8 years of battling for the land. Then they watched all the tribes receive their inheritance and begin to build their homes, planting their vineyards. Still, they held on to God's Word. They were tenacious. They were diligent in what God has said. And because of this, they did not miss out on God's best. 

Don't you realize what the scriptures are written down for? So that you might know what is yours in Christ Jesus and petition your Lord for it and live in expectation that He will do what He said. Too many people are ignorant of the Promises to their own detriment. Do not be one of them.

Now there is a caveat. This requires time, patience and effort. Remember Jesus' words following the sermon on the mount?

Luke 6:47–48 (ESV) Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.

Digging down deep is hard. It requires sweat and time. This is how God's Word works. You may ask why God makes it so hard? Well, He doesn't make it hard. We are born in sin and naturally disconnected from Him. Through Christ, the sin nature is overcome and we are born again to perceive the Word. But still, there's work to understand it. The reason is that God's Word is not elementary nor cheap. Anything worth having of value takes effort and work. So too, the living Word of God, which is utterly worth having, will require commitment on our part to take it all in. But when those storms come, we will not be shaken.