Then, as previously stated, life happens in such a way not that it strikes down my faith per say, but in a way where it gets chipped away, like when a sculptor is molding a creation. So one bad thing happening doesn't cause me to throw my arms up and claim abandonment, but when one thing after another happens, slowly all I hear is :::clink.:::: :::::clink::::: ::::clink::::, and you get to a point were you are wondering where God is getting all of this clay because you are feeling particularly worn down, and at the outside there isn't a pretty statue to show for it.
But then, I realize, that much like Joshua when he was in Gilgal, God made it very evident to him, and again me that "he's got this." A little back story, Joshua once again is in the middle of a dispute with multiple leaders . What I find great about chapter 10 is that Joshua doesn't say a word out loud until nearly half way through the chapter. God makes the first commentary about the circumstances. "And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear them, for I have given them into your hands. Not a man of them shall stand before you." (v. 8). Like that's it, there has not been a plan made, an action taken, not even a prayer uttered out loud to God, and he's like "it's all good, no need to fret, I got it." Furthermore, God provides in all of this to not only words of assurance but actually intervenes on the Israelites behalf. He literally throws down large stones from heaven, killing the enemies (v. 11), and then proceeds to hold the sun and moon in the sky while Israel defeats the Amorites.
Okay so pause again. So the God of the universe pours down boulders on the enemies and then modifies the orbs in space so that Israel can be victorious. This is one of those moments where it is plainly obvious that God cannot be contained into the little box we put him in.
Later, the rest of this story states that "The sun stopped in the midst of heaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day. There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of man, for the Lord fought for Israel." (v 13-14).
I had this thought then while going over this about my faith, about it being chipped away, and I realized that circumstances that happen, the messy stuff that makes life complicated, it is not meant to "chip away my faith." This stuff is the stuff that sanctification is made of. These experiences I have that make life hard, that's when I need to realize that God has always "had it" and always will. I am reminded that as a sculpture, I literally am the clay, he's the potter, and the molding, shaping and changing is all part of his plan to make me better (Isaiah 64:8). And that statue I talked about that you couldn't see on the outside, it is there, it is in the heart. The place where change for the better truly occurs, and that is where the inward change will produce an outward trust in the Lord.
