Matins Devotion: June 28, 2024

Joshua 4

When the Israelites finally cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land, we see a picture of the baptized life. A man whose name means "savior" leads the people to the waters of the Jordan. The Ark of the Covenant, the presence of God, goes before them into the waters, and they cross over those waters into a land of conflict, into a land where enemies and sorrows will need to be subdued. This describes both the life of the Israelites under Joshua and the life of Christians under Jesus. 

Out of His mercy, Jesus Christ came into this world of sin and found us in the wilderness. He led us to the waters of Holy Baptism, where the presence of God filled those waters. We were washed in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. And through that baptism, we crossed from the wilderness into the Kingdom of God. But the Kingdom has not yet rid the world of Satan and his influence. The devil will war against us, even as he will fail. Satan will rise up against us like Jericho, seeking to destroy and devour us. He will fill our hearts with sorrow and fill our eyes with tears.

And yet, through the Word, Jesus Christ will tear his walls and his kingdom down. The one who seeks to devour us with sin and despair will be crushed by the strength of Jesus Christ every day. So every day of your life as a baptized Christian is a day when you war against the false inhabitants of this world, a day when the kingdoms that will be conquered lash out in their foolhardy persecution of the true kingdom, of which you are a member. 

But be at peace. The day is coming when Jericho will be no more, when Ai will be gone forever, when Canaan will be entirely eradicated. The day is soon coming when you will find your eternal rest in the eternal kingdom of God. So until that day, keep fighting by trusting in your Lord. Keep warring against the devil by resting in the arms of the God who fights for you.