Failing to Pray

Photo courtesy of gizmag.com

My husband and I are in the middle of making a decision involving our kitchen countertops.  We've had several estimates from various companies, and all of them are competitively priced with each other.  At first pass it seemed to me that it did not really matter which company we signed a contract with...and certainly not an issue that necessitated prayer.  I mean, why bother God with life's little details and minor decisions anyway?  But a passage I read in the book of Joshua made an impression on me this week, and I'd love to share it with you. 

Unlike most Old Testament people in the Bible, Joshua has a pretty pristine moral record.  He seemed to make the right decisions, even when he was a youth and was sent out by Moses as a spy to the Promise Land (he and Caleb were the only ones of the twelve who exhibited faith to say YES we can take the land).  He is also depicted as a mighty warrior of God and an exemplary leader of the nation of Israel as he succeeded Moses.  However, in the ninth chapter of Joshua, we see him make a foolish decision when he encountered the Gibeonite people.

Let me provide some quick backstory for you.  When the Israelites entered the Promise Land and went about conquering the inhabited territories, they were instructed by God to not make a treaty with any of the people who lived near them (instead, they were to kill everyone and everything and take no survivors!).  Most of the inhabitants of that land had heard of the things God had done for the Israelites in the Exodus deliverance and how they had miraculously and mercilessly defeated fortified cities like Jericho.  So naturally, they were afraid!  One people group, the Gibeonites, approached Joshua and the people of Israel wearing worn out clothes and carrying moldy bread and old wineskins.  They asked to make a treaty with their people, since they were from a distant land.  Let's check it out in Joshua 9:3-15...

" However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, ⁴ they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded^[a] with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. ⁵ They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. ⁶ Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the Israelites, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” The Israelites said to the Hivites, “But perhaps you live near us, so how can we make a treaty with you?”⁸ 
“We are your servants,” they said to Joshua.
But Joshua asked, “Who are you and where do you come from?”
 They answered: “Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the Lord your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, ¹⁰ and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. ¹¹ And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, ‘Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, “We are your servants; make a treaty with us.”’ ¹² This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. ¹³ And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey.” ¹⁴ The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. ¹⁵ Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath."

So, we see Joshua and the Israelite people "sampling their provisions" and using logic and reasoning to make a decision.  Hmmm...worn-out clothes, moldy bread, cracked wineskins...this MUST mean that these people are travelers from a far-off place...which MUST mean that they wish to do us no harm...so NO BIG DEAL if we make a treaty with them.  What they failed to do was to pray and "inquire of the Lord."  As a result, they were deceived into making a treaty with a neighboring pagan people group, never getting rid of these people from their land. BURN.

So last night, in regards to our kitchen countertop decision, my husband and I took some time to pray together about it.  And when my husband signed the contract with the company we selected this morning, he came home to report even further evidence of why he feels good about the decision.  I feel good about it, too.  (And it doesn't hurt that the owners of the company we chose to employ also worship at our church!)

Even when it doesn't seem like you NEED to pray...take the time to do so today, dear friend!  Let it NOT be said of us that we "failed to inquire of the Lord" even over "straight-forward," "logical," or seemingly insignificant life decisions.  You never know when you can be deceived into making a foolish decision that can wreak havoc on your life or your testimony!