Superhero God

Joshua captured all these kings and their land at one time, because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.Joshua 10:42

My tendency to follow my own will, taints everything, even my faith. So, when I read a passage like today’s, I embrace it, as I love the thought that God is on my side. If God is for me, who can stand against me? I can do all things through Christ, right? I should get a t-shirt with this verse on it . . .

As a child, I took such passages to mean that God would do anything I wanted. God could make me fly! In college, I read these words and thought that perhaps God wanted me to be a national wrestling champion. Imagine what I could do for you God! If you make me great, I’ll give you all the credit. What a great team we will make!

I’d like to think that I’ve matured, but I still manipulate passages like this, to convince myself that God will miraculously accomplish my plans. God has superpowers which He will use to bring about my will because we’re on the same team, right?

Joshua did not capture the kingdoms in today’s passage because God did whatever Joshua wanted though. Joshua accomplished the miraculous because he was on God’s side. Had Joshua and the Israelites refused to follow Him, God would not have fought for them and the outcome would have been radically different.

The question for us then, is not if God is on our side. The question always, is, Are we on God’s side? Are we following God’s will today? Though God is always interested in what is best for us, we would be fools to think that God provides us miraculous aid in pursuing our own will when it is contrary to His. When we pursue ourselves, we will find only super-misery.

If, however, we deny self and follow God daily, then He can and does perform the miraculous in our lives. As we pursue Him, God fills us with His transforming, extraordinary life.