Bringing Down the Walls

When the trumpets sounded, the people shouted, and at the sound of the trumpet, when the people gave a loud shout, the wall collapsed; so every man charged straight in, and the they took the city. – Joshua 6:20

William Thomas had seen nothing but disappointment in his lifetime. He saw his mother hauled out the door, screaming as police arrested her for drug possession. He never knew his father, and his grandmother, who raised him, suffered a heart attack and died while he held her in his arms. As far as Will was concerned, life was horrible and he refused to allow himself to get close to another individual; it only meant more hurt.

Will became bitter and he allowed fear to rule his heart until the day Sarah came into his life. This pretty brunette had the laughter of child and her happiness was infectious. It did not take long for her to worm her way into Will’s heart. The more he came to know Sarah the greater his dilemma became. He wanted to date her, but the walls he had built around his heart, only proved to keep her out.

Finally, tired of being denied access, Sarah confronted Will. “Why won’t you let me inside these walls you’ve built?. I won’t hurt you. I promise.” Will dropped his head and stared at the ground. He knew there would be a risk involved in trusting Sarah. The question was, “Could he do it?”

We’ve all experienced our share of pain and frustration. Some seem to find a windfall of agony while others only experience small amounts. However, the fact remains that hurt affects us all. Our success or failure depends on how we choose to handle what comes our way.

The story of the children of Israel bringing down the walls of Jericho is a Sunday school favorite. Teachers march their classes around in a circle and let them pretend to blow horns and shout in order to knock down the walls of the city. There is more to this story than simply bringing down the walls. Trust and faith played a primary role in this battle. The Israelites didn’t march around the city once. They marched around the city seven days in a row and on the seventh day, they marched around it seven times. The walls built around Jericho crumbled to the ground as they blew their trumpets and shouted. The people had to trust that God was in control and that He and only He could do the miraculous.

Learning to trust when we’ve been hurt time after time is difficult. We want to guard our hearts – protect ourselves from the world. Until we reach out to the one who can heal a broken heart, those walls will remain in tact, and we will never know the joy of true freedom. Trust God. He is the one “someone” who will never let you down. He will bring down the walls and offer you a view of the countryside you have never seen before. Trust Him.

Prayer: Holy Father, God of all creation, protect us. Give us the courage to knock down the walls that surround us and allow us the joy of Your peace.