One of my favorite books since youth has been Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. I guess you could say that since I grew up in a small, wooded, country town, that Billy’s story resonates greatly with me. The story gushes of quiet simplicity, abundant nature and the importance of family. All things that still resonate within me to this day. Recently, I just bought a new copy and took it on vacation, re-reading it as I basked in the warm Caribbean sunshine. What a great place to get reunited with an old friend.
As I read back through the colorful imagery and touching emotional moments, I teared up as I came to one familiar part of the story. Billy has worked hard saving money to buy his two champion coon hounds and on the big day of their first live hunt, he hits an obstacle as big as Jericho and Goliath combined. Little Ann and Old Dan tree their first coon in the biggest tree in the bottoms, the Ol’ Sycamore. Billy, out of his deep obligation to his dogs, pulls out his small hand axe and begins to chop, all evening and all night. Naturally, he doesn’t make a dent in the behemoth’s wooded girth, but he is determined to do his part as his dog’s have done theirs. The tree eventually comes down, and within its fall to Earth, Billy and the reader get an invaluable lesson. This is where the story gets water in my eyes every time. Please allow me to quote a small section from chapter 9 of Where the Red Fern Grows as Billy processes what happened with the Ol’ Sycamore with his dad.
“While we were tacking the hide on the smokehouse wall, I asked Papa if he had noticed any wind blowing that evening. He thought a bit and said, “No, I don’t believe I did. I’ve been out all day and I’m pretty sure I haven’t noticed any wind. Why do you ask?”
“Oh, I don’t know Papa,” I said, “but I thought something strange happened down in the bottoms this afternoon.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand,” said Papa. “What do you mean, something strange happened?”
I told him about how my hands had gotten so sore I couldn’t chop any more and how I had asked God for strength to finish the job.”
“Well, what’s so strange about that?” He asked.
“I don’t know.” I said, “but I didn’t chop the big tree down. The wind blew it over.”
“Why that’s nothing,” Papa said, “I’ve seen that happen a lot of times.”
“It wasn’t just the wind,” I said. “It was the way the wind blew. It didn’t touch another tree in the bottoms. I know because I looked around. The big tree was the only one touched by the wind. Do you think God heard my prayer? Do you think He helped me?”
Papa looked at the ground and scratched his head. In a sober voice, he said, “I don’t know, Billy. I’m afraid I can’t answer that. You must remember the big sycamore was the tallest tree in the bottoms. Maybe it was up there high enough to catch the wind where the others couldn’t. No, I’m afraid I can’t help you there. You’ll have to decide for yourself.”
It wasn’t hard for me to decide. I was firmly convinced that I had been helped.
This moment in Billy’s life has always spoken greatly to me. It echoes moments in our life where we call out to God in full realization that the only victory we will ever hope to experience can only come through His power, not our own. But instead of just praying and then sitting around waiting for God to do all the work, we roll up our sleeves and get busy. We work like the energizer bunny, not waiting on God to do the job, but our prayer is that God might just meet us halfway as we labor for Him. You see, Billy got that big Ol’ Sycamore about halfway down before God met him in the middle and made Himself known in the wind that finished the job. Many times in our life, God will meet us halfway with His amazing power, if we are first willing to meet Him halfway, in our limited power.
As we look at Joshua chapter 10 today, we will see Billy’s small story play out in epic proportions for Joshua and the Israelites. The first three major cities in the central region have fallen and now God’s people look to the five kingdoms that lie to the south. Before the battles ensue, God encourages Joshua and the Israelites with these words:
“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.” Joshua 10:8
As God delivers this message, do you think that Joshua and the people simply walked over, grabbed some olives and grapes and took the day off to snack in the shade of the nearest palm tree? I mean, if God says that He’s got it, shouldn’t we just relax and let Him do all the heavy lifting? In a true display of meeting God in the middle, look at how Joshua reacts to God’s message in the very next verse.
“So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who struck them with a great blow at Gibeon and chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon and struck them as far as Azekah and Makkedah.” Joshua 10:9
Did you see what just happened? As soon as Joshua got the message from God, he mustered the troops and immediately proceeded to march all night long directly into battle with the enemy. Wow, talk about carpe diem. Now as the men were fighting, marching and sweating, doing their part to be fully obedient to God, I want you to carefully notice several aspects of the battle where just as in Billy’s story, God meets them in the middle to finish the job.
1) “And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel” Joshua 10:10
As Joshua and his warriors crested the hill and surprised the enemy, God met them in the middle and caused the enemy to be fully immersed in panic and confusion. And folks, when it says God caused them to panic, you can be fully assured it was a panic that confused, terrified, scattered and frightened these people into a mass of chaos. After marching all through the night, what a joy that the Lord met them in the fight by mentally and emotionally panicking and scattering the enemy.
2) “And as they fled before Israel, while they were going down the ascent of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down large stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died because of the hailstones than the sons of Israel killed with the sword.” Joshua 10:11
By now the men of Israel had been marching all night from Gilgal to get to Gibeon, a total of about 15 miles. They must have been tired, hot, hungry and very exhausted. But they were doing their part, fighting as God had instructed them, and in this process, God continues to meet them halfway. This time He rains down huge hail stones, large enough to kill a man. Perfectly aimed, these stones cut down the enemies that stood against God’s people. I can only imagine the encouragement the men felt as they saw the hand of God meeting them in the fight.
3) “At that time Joshua spoke to the Lord in the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the sons of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, “Sun, stand still at Gibeon, and moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, until the nation took vengeance on their enemies. Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? 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 a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.” Joshua 10:12-14
There has not been a day like it before or since. Joshua is knee deep in the battle and through the Lord’s help, they are seeing the victory unfold. But the enemy was numerous, and the battle was consuming much time. Joshua knew the victory was close, but he also saw that he needed more time, more daylight, more sunshine to get it done. So, in an act of faith that sends chills down my spine, Joshua asks Almighty God for just that. God, can you give me more time to defeat our enemy? And God does just that. In one of the single most amazing miracles in all of God’s Word, God simply stops the entire Solar System. The sun stops in its tracks, continues to shine, and Joshua has time to secure the victory. When God’s people are fighting the good fight and following God in absolute obedience, there is little God will not do to meet them in the middle.
Folks, today if you are chopping on the Ol’ Sycamore, aches in your back, blisters on your hands and feeling exhausted and frustrated to the point of quitting…don’t. As you labor for God, He is not absent, He is watching you toil in love, obedience and faith in Him. And just as it seems that tree will never fall, He will meet you with a wind that will change your battle. Have great faith that God holds the victory to your battles and in His perfect timing, He will meet you in the middle with the strength to stop the sun and moon as He delivers the victory into your hands.
Praise be to a God that meets us in our battles.
Comentarios