Day 5 ‘Set apart for mission’ (Joshua 5:13-15) - Week of Prayer & Fasting Devotional

Joshua 5:13–15

“What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

For our final devotional in our Week of Prayer and Fasting we are reading Joshua 5:13-15. Joshua was near Jericho when he encountered the commander of the Lord's army. His first question was, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

The response was unexpected: “Neither.”

Joshua's question assumed that the most important thing was knowing whose side God was on. But the encounter turns the question around.

Perhaps the deeper question is not, “God, will you bless what we are doing?” but “God, what are you doing, and will we align ourselves with you?”

That changes the way we pray.

Before we ask God to use us, we ask Him to form us. Before we pray about what we want to accomplish, we invite the Holy Spirit to shape our character. Before we ask God to work through our church, we ask Him to work in our hearts.

So today, let's pray for holiness, renewal, spiritual hunger, Christlike character, unity and a deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit. As we head into the weekends and upcoming weeks, let’s pray that all we have learned, discovered and encountered this week will change and shape us moving forward.

Then let's widen our prayers to the world around us.

God has a mission in the world, and He invites us to join him. Let's pray for the nations, the persecuted church, places experiencing conflict and suffering, global injustice and people coming to faith. Then bring that prayer close to home: our towns, workplaces, schools and neighbourhoods.

God is already at work. The question is whether we will notice and join Him?

Dwell

• What does this reveal about who God is?

• Who are we when we remember that we belong to Him?

• What might God want to change in us before He works through us?

• Where can we see God already at work?

• How might God be inviting us to join Him?

Prayer

Holy Spirit, form us before you use us. Give us your heart for the world, and show us where you are already at work. Help us to lay down our agendas, listen to you and faithfully join your mission. Grow in us a deeper love for Jesus, greater holiness, spiritual hunger, Christlike character and dependence on you. Use us as a church to join what you are already doing in our communities and across the world.

Amen.