That night, Joshua couldn’t sleep. What was he to do? How would he lead his people to victory? Why hadn’t the captain spoken more? Why hadn’t God given him directions? The questions swirled chaotically in his mind all night long, offering no answers and no peace. When morning came at long last, he rose early, before his wife Miriam had stoked the coals to flame. He wrapped himself in a blanket and sat down on the floor of his tent. He watched the coals as he tried to quiet all the anxious thoughts in his mind. He was most unsuccessful.
“Joshua,” Miriam’s voice broke into the commander’s worried and aimless thoughts. He blinked. He must have dozed off because there was now a small, warm fire before him. “Come, the bread is almost done. Have some breakfast.”
Joshua smiled. Somehow, Miriam always knew when something was bothering him. He never had to say a word, she just always knew it. And she knew exactly what he needed, too.
“What would I do without you?” Joshua smiled weakly.
“Probably waste away from worry by the looks of it.” Miriam handed Joshua a hot piece of fresh bread and a bowl of dipping oil. “Why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”
Joshua sighed. How could she not already know what bothered him? How could he even begin to explain it to her? He waved her question away and took another bite of bread.
“Joshua, we’ve always worked together on everything.”
She was right, of course. Joshua swollowed and said, “A messenger of God came to me yesterday.”
Miriam’s eyes grew wide with excitement. “Really? Well, that’s what you’ve been waiting for. What did he say?”
Joshua frowned, “Nothing. Nothing of value, anyhow.”
He tried not to get angry, but as he thought about the previous day’s encounter, he found himself getting upset. He had been waiting patiently to hear a message from God, he had done his best to work out plans for attacking the city, and finally, when it came God’s turn to do something, he had sent a messenger with nothing of any value whatsoever.
Joshua continued, waving his hand to demonstrate, “He drew his sword on me, and then commanded me to take off my sandals.” He angrily dipped another piece of bread into the oil. “That’s all he said!”
Joshua took a deep breath and sighed loudly. He looked over to Miriam, but she wasn’t offering him any hopeful words.
More calmly, he said again, “He told me to remove my filthy sandals because this place belongs to God. And then he left.”
Miriam’s head rose, and she looked into her husband’s eyes. “Well, maybe that’s the message.”
Tags: angels, Joshua, Old Testament, worry
