Read Joshua 7:6-9 NIV
6 Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown to the ground before the ark of the LORD, remaining there till evening. The elders of Israel did the same, and sprinkled dust on their heads. 7 And Joshua said, “Alas, Sovereign LORD, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan! 8 Pardon your servant, LORD. What can I say, now that Israel has been routed by its enemies? 9 The Canaanites and the other people of the country will hear about this and they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. What then will you do for your own great name?”
Today’s verses show us Joshua’s response to Israel’s defeat at Ai, and are a good example of the kind of leader Joshua was. I love how his first response is a deep grief that he takes straight to God. The other elders take their cue from him, and they, too, express their deep grief by humbling themselves before God. He doesn’t make excuses, but instead expresses his concern that God would be dishonored in the eyes of the other nations because of the defeat.
I wish I could say that my first instinct is always to come humbly and honestly before God in the pain of my defeats. I am probably more inclined to cast blame on someone else. I might come to God in prayer then, only to complain to God about how it impacts me, not lamenting how the defeat makes God look.
Like the elders under Joshua’s leadership, let’s take our cues from Joshua today. When defeat or difficulties hit us hard, may they drive us to God first with honest prayer. Let our hearts be humble enough to want to see God glorified in our lives, allowing that to shape the way we pray.
