Joshua 6

Waiting for your breakthrough

_{‘So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. ‘ ~ Joshua 6:20}

What do you do when God gives you a promise, but your reality still looks unchanged? The people of Israel had finally reached Jericho, a city that stood as a barrier between them and what God had already said was theirs. The instructions God gave them did not look like a battle plan. There were no weapons raised, no immediate breakthrough, just walking, waiting, and trusting. It must have felt unusual, even uncomfortable, to obey when nothing seemed to be happening. Yet, God was not just bringing down walls, He was building faith in His people.

Below are some ways that God works to stretch our trust before He reveals His power.

1. Following God’s direction and plan unlocks what you cannot see yet

The Israelites were asked to follow specific instructions that did not make logical sense. They walked around the walls day after day, without visible progress. Their obedience was not based on what they saw, but on who God is.

In your daily life, this might look like continuing to pray for your family even when you do not see change, or staying committed to something God called you to when results feel delayed. Maybe God has asked you to step into something new, and it feels uncertain and uncomfortable. Choosing to obey in those moments builds trust in Him. For example, if God is leading you to be consistent in your time with Him, even when life feels busy, that simple act of obedience is positioning you for breakthrough.

2. God’s timing is intentional, not delayed

For six days, nothing seemed to happen. The walls did not crack, shift, or weaken in any visible way. But on the seventh day, everything changed. God was not late, He was working according to His perfect timing. What the people could not see was that He was also working on the other side of the wall. As they marched in obedience, God was allowing intimidation and fear to build in the hearts of their enemies, immobilizing them and rendering them ineffective against His people.

In your life, there may be areas where you feel like you have been waiting longer than expected. It could be a breakthrough in your career, healing in a relationship, or clarity in your next step. Waiting does not mean God is absent. There are things He is doing that you cannot yet see, both in you and around you. For example, if you have been believing for direction in a new opportunity, use this waiting time to grow, prepare, and trust that when the time comes, God will move in a way that is undeniable.

3. Your voice matters in your victory

When the moment came, the people were instructed to shout. Their praise was part of the process that led to the walls falling. God included their participation in the breakthrough.

In your daily life, your words carry power. What you speak in moments of pressure matters. Instead of agreeing with fear or doubt, choose to speak in agreement with what God has said. For example, if you are facing insecurity in a new role or responsibility, you can say, “God has equipped me for this, and He is with me.” Your voice becomes an expression of faith and praise, even before you see the outcome.

I remember a times in my life when I was walking closely with God but still carrying pieces of my past. There were moments when old fears would try to remind me of who I used to be, especially when I was not listening to God’s direction in my life. I had stepped into something new, but my mind had not been fully renewed yet. God began to show me that I did not have to struggle or figure everything out on my own. As I stayed consistent in trusting Him, even when I didn’t see immediate change, He began to provide, guide, and strengthen me. Little by little, those old mindsets lost their grip on my heart, and I started to walk in a new level of peace and confidence. It was not instant, but just like the walls of Jericho, breakthrough came as I kept moving forward in obedience on a consistent basis.

Today I want to encourage you to recognize that the walls in front of you are not stronger than the God within you. What He has promised, He is faithful to complete. Keep walking, keep trusting, and keep lifting your voice in faith, even when you do not see immediate results. Your obedience, your patience, and your faith are all part of the process God is using to bring victory in your life.

Today’s scripture reading: Joshua 6

1 Now Jericho was securely shut up because of the children of Israel; none went out, and none came in. 

2 And the Lord said to Joshua: “See! I have given Jericho into your hand, its king, and the mighty men of valor. 

3 You shall march around the city, all you men of war; you shall go all around the city once. This you shall do six days. 

4 And seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark. But the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. 

5 It shall come to pass, when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when you hear the sound of the trumpet, that all the people shall shout with a great shout; then the wall of the city will fall down flat. And the people shall go up every man straight before him.”

6 Then Joshua the son of Nun called the priests and said to them, “Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord.” 

7 And he said to the people, “Proceed, and march around the city, and let him who is armed advance before the ark of the Lord.”

8 So it was, when Joshua had spoken to the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the Lord advanced and blew the trumpets, and the ark of the covenant of the Lord followed them. 

9 The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 

10 Now Joshua had commanded the people, saying, “You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, ‘Shout!’ Then you shall shout.” 

11 So he had the ark of the Lord circle the city, going around it once. Then they came into the camp and lodged in the camp.

12 And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of the Lord. 

13 Then seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually and blew with the trumpets. And the armed men went before them. But the rear guard came after the ark of the Lord, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets. 

14 And the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. So they did six days.

15 But it came to pass on the seventh day that they rose early, about the dawning of the day, and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. On that day only, they marched around the city seven times. 

16 And the seventh time it happened, when the priests blew the trumpets, that Joshua said to the people: “Shout, for the Lord has given you the city! 

17 Now the city shall be doomed by the Lord to destruction, it and all who are in it. Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent. 

18 And you, by all means abstain from the accursed things, lest you become accursed when you take of the accursed things, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. 

19 But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are consecrated to the Lord; they shall come into the treasury of the Lord.”

20 So the people shouted when the priests blew the trumpets. And it happened when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat. Then the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. 

21 And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, ox and sheep and donkey, with the edge of the sword.

22 But Joshua had said to the two men who had spied out the country, “Go into the harlot’s house, and from there bring out the woman and all that she has, as you swore to her.” 

23 And the young men who had been spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father, her mother, her brothers, and all that she had. So they brought out all her relatives and left them outside the camp of Israel. 

24 But they burned the city and all that was in it with fire. Only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. 

25 And Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

26 Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the Lord who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates.”

27 So the Lord was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout all the country.

Journal:

• What is one area where God is asking me to trust Him, even though I do not see results yet
• Where have I been tempted to give up, and how can I choose obedience instead
• What truth from God’s Word can I begin to speak over my current situation
• How has God been faithful to me in past seasons that I can hold onto today