Praying for Rain? Where’s your Umbrella?

Today we start reading Joshua 2:
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Special Note. We will take a portion of this chapter each day this week as well as talk about it Wednesday Night along with other passages that inform our understanding and application of the text.
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As we read the second chapter of Joshua remember, God has told Joshua that he is going to be given the land that lays out in front of him. Joshua believes the Lord and is willing to lead the people of Israel forward to take this land. As far as we can tell Joshua’s faith does not waver when it comes to this promise.
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The question then, is why does he see it as necessary to send out 2 spies, not 12, to find out more about the land? The 2 instead of 12 makes sense, last time that there were 12 spies sent into this land, only two came back with a faithful report. Joshua doesn't not want a repeat performance! But did he need to send any spies at all?
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There are many who have accused Joshua of not trusting the Lord and feeling the need to see for himself whether or not God was telling the truth. There is no reason to question Joshua’s motives however; the text certainly does not criticize him in anyway. Joshua is simply preparing for the next step that God will show him.
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Think about it, if the Lord told you that you were going to go in and take over a land while leading an entire nation, would you not want to do a little recon? Joshua is a military commander he has led Israel’s army in battle for as long as we have known him, all the way back to Exodus 17. God has been preparing him for this day his entire life. He is simply using the expertise God has given him to accomplish the goals God has set before him.
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He is like the old farmer that went to prayer meeting where they were gathering to ask God for rain and took an umbrella with him. Joshua is preparing for God’s blessings by using the skills God has given him. Wisdom is a gift from God and Joshua is using his to prepare himself and the people of Israel to receive the reward God wishes to bestow upon them. As Proverbs 10:23 says, “wisdom is a pleasure to a man of understanding.”
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The same principle applies to us as we face this Monday morning. Jesus has promised us that He will provide for us and walk with us each step of the way. Does that mean that if we get up and use the skills, strength, and passion He has given us to make a living we are somehow living in doubt? Not at all! It is FAITH that causes us to leave the house and go work with all the energy He gives us, because we believe that any effort which we give to serving Him is well used time. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “to be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”
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So let’s get our umbrellas and prepare for the Lord to answer our prayers for His blessings, let us ask the Lord for the grace we need to wisely apply our efforts as we trust His plans and purposes for our lives this week.