The Uphill Battle
“Let the Sun stand still over Gibeon, and the moon over the valley of Aijalon.” -Joshua 10:12
This is a fascinating story of how God stops the sun (literally stops time!), so that Joshua can have more time to defeat the Amorites. It is an amazing miracle, however, it was a downhill battle.
In verse 10, Joshua attacked the Amorites from High ground. He and his army were at the top of a mountain when they surprise attacked the Amorites who were camped at the bottom of the mountain. Joshua didn’t win this battle because of strength, he didn’t win because of numbers, not because of talent, or weaponry, or skill. Joshua’s army won because of their battle POSITION. They were in the right position to win. In fact, the ONLY thing that could stop them from demolishing their enemy was TIME. That’s why God made the Sun Stand Still. For the most part, it was an easy win. God had their back and they had the high ground.
THE REAL BATTLE was actually the uphill battle in verse 9. It was a 25 mile march across rugged terrain with a 4,000 ft. ascent. An entire army made this trek in roughly 10 hours. It was like having a youth lock-in, except there were no video games or sleeping bags…it was an all night walk from Apex to Chapel Hill! Then, after a long night and a painful climb, they were EXACTLY where God needed them to be. And that’s why they won. They actually won the battle during their 4,000 foot uphill march to the peak of the mountain.
The problem I find with many of us is that we want God to show up, but we don’t want to march to the top of the mountain! We want the MIRACLE without the MARCH. We want the WIN without the WORK.
The uphill battle is when you are up at 1am studying for that final. It’s when you are awake at 5am running on the treadmill. It’s when you stay late after practice and shoot 100 free throws. It’s when you spend your last $10 to take her out for ice cream. It’s when you eat pb&j in lieu of steak to pay off debt. It’s the uphill battle that separates the men from the boys. The uphill battle is where national champions are born. The uphill battle is proving ground for a downhill victory!
Whatever you do, win the uphill battle.
