A donkey's back

This morning I was reading the book of Joshua. Now, it is well known for the story of Jericho. Walk around the walls. Play the trumpets. Watch the walls come down. And, because mercy is one of my gifts, I always like to remind people about the saving of Rahab. Key point to the story, as she is part of the family line to King David.

 But I am getting off track. Once you get past the story of Jericho, there is very little in there that is exciting. Lots and lots of it is names. A record book of which tribes got which parts of the promised land. And I must admit that I sort of skim it. The names of towns sort of blur together in my head.

 But a few little side notes stuck out.

 Caleb, Joshua's right-hand man had been given a prime area. Some of it however was still overrun with the enemy. So he promised in marriage his daughter, Acsah, to the man who could conquer that area. Othniel won, and Caleb gave him not only Acsah, but some land also. Good deal, right? I suppose so if you lived back then.

 But here is the part I found interesting. Acsah, Caleb's daughter, wasn't satisfied. She had a husband, and some fields, but she wanted more. So she went to her father. It says that "when she got off her donkey, Caleb asked her, 'What can I do for you'?"

 I am sure Caleb loved his daughter. He made a man prove himself worthy before she married him. I am sure they kept in touch. But he didn't ask what she needed until she got off her donkey.

 How often do we expect God to give us what we need, what we want even when we should be satisfied, when we won't even get off our donkey? Unlike Caleb, God does know our every thought. He is aware of what we think we need. He is aware of what we actually need. And He will take care of us.

 But sometimes if we will get off our donkey, (and perhaps onto our knees?) we might be able to more clearly hear Him say "What can I do for you, my dearest child?"

 Acsah says "Do me a special favor"... and Caleb grants her wish.

 God doesn't always give us our wishes, or the "special favors" we ask for. Because sometimes it is not the right time, yet.

One of my best friends recently had to be told no, over and over again. And it was confusing. But she realized that God sometimes, like Abraham with his only son, asks us to lay it all out there and be willing to sacrifice everything.

 I don't know where you are. Maybe you are forgetting to get off your donkey. Maybe you are in the middle of so much sacrifice that you can't figure out how God can fix it.

But let me leave you with Joshua 21:45 "Not one of all the Lord's good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."

 He had promised them the land. They moved in with joy. They had to fight for it, and obey Him sometimes in scary situations, but every promise was fulfilled.

 Every one.

 Anyone know what Acsah's request was? Springs of water.

 Not a bad request, really. I, for one, am always glad to have some springs of living water flowing through me.

Blessings,