Joshua 5:13-15 | Jesus: Lord and Commander

There is something powerful about lifting your eyes.

Joshua was standing near Jericho. The walls were high. The battle was ahead. The pressure was real. No doubt there were questions, burdens, and the weight of leadership pressing on his mind. Then scripture says he lifted his eyes—and everything changed.

He did not first see a strategy. He did not first see a shortcut. He did not first see an easier road.

He saw the Commander of the Lord’s army.

What a needed reminder for us. So often we stand staring at the walls in front of us. We fix our eyes on the problem, the obstacle, the uncertainty, the fear, the diagnosis, the financial strain, the family burden, or the future we cannot control. We study the wall until it feels bigger than the God who called us.

But victory has never been found in staring at walls. Victory is found in lifting our eyes to Christ.

Joshua asked the question many of us still ask in different ways: “Are You for us?” The Lord’s response shifted everything. The issue was not whether God was joining Joshua’s cause, but whether Joshua would surrender to God’s rule.

That still preaches today.

We often want Jesus to support our plans, validate our opinions, and fit neatly into our agenda. But Jesus is not an accessory to our lives. He is Lord of all. He does not exist to take sides in our kingdoms. We are called to bow before His.

Then Joshua was told to remove his sandals, because the ground was holy. The presence of Christ turned ordinary dirt into sacred ground. What if the greatest need in our lives is not a change of scenery, but a fresh awareness of who is with us?

The same Christ who stood before Joshua is the Christ who walks with His people today. The same Lord who was present before Jericho is present before every battle we face now.

So if the walls feel high today, lift your eyes.

If the burden feels heavy, lift your eyes.

If the future feels uncertain, lift your eyes.

There is still a King above every wall, a Lord above every battle, and a Savior worthy of our trust.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” — Hebrews 12:2

Watch “Jesus: Lord and Commander” HERE