Monday, August 21 – Joshua 2:1-3

Then Joshua the son of Nun sent two men as spies secretly from Shittim, saying, “Go, view the land, especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and rested there. But it was told to the king of Jericho, saying, “Behold, men from the sons of Israel have come here tonight to spy out the land.” And the king of Jericho sent word to Rahab, saying, “Bring out the men who have come to you, who have entered your house, for they have come to spy out all the land.”

When we set out on a journey, we usually imagine the trip going a certain way. We picture the place we will stay. We have expectations of the food we will eat or the things we will see. But sometimes the accommodations we have along the journey are not what we imagined. We may have to pivot because of weather, closings, or detours. As we follow Jesus, we might imagine a specific way it will go. We think about the successes or joys we will have, the beautiful places we will go to, and the deep relationships we will build when we follow Him, yet that is not always how our journeys play out. We have a rocky start to connecting with others, meet people that are hesitant to get to know us, or hit life circumstances that feel like detours to the way God was taking us.

Rahab acted obediently to God even though her past did not honor Him, and Joshua and his men trusted the provisions God put in front of them, even when it came from an unlikely source. They trusted God and the place he was leading them, making themselves vulnerable in the home of someone others might otherwise consider untrustworthy. Similarly, when God provides for us through an unlikely source or leads us to a detour that seems like a mistake, we can know He is in the details and move forward in our journey, trusting Him to be with us and equip us at every step.

• When was your journey following Jesus different than you expected? How was God in the details at that time?
• How can you remind yourself God is in the details as you face future obstacles?
• Pray and ask God to remind you He is in the details even when the circumstances are different than you expect.