When Waiting Isn’t an Option
Lessons from Joshua’s All-Night March (Joshua 10)
I’ve met plenty of people who are eager to serve God—at least in theory. They say, “I really want to do something for the Lord,” but when the opportunities come, they hesitate. “I need to wait on God,” they insist. “I can’t move until I see Him act.”
Now, don’t get me wrong. There’s wisdom in seeking God’s guidance. Scripture is full of verses that encourage waiting on the Lord (Psalm 27:14, Isaiah 40:31). But waiting on God doesn’t mean sitting still when He’s already placed an opportunity in front of us. It doesn’t mean refusing to act when we have the ability to move forward in faith. And Joshua? Well, he was a man who understood the balance between waiting on God and stepping out in faith.
Joshua’s All-Night March: A Model of Faith in Action
In Joshua 10, we find one of the most remarkable military victories in the Old Testament. The Gibeonites, who had recently made a treaty with Israel, were under attack by a coalition of Amorite kings. They sent word to Joshua, pleading for help. Now, Joshua could have stalled. He could have said, “I’ll wait and see what God does.” Instead, he immediately mobilized his army and marched all night to reach Gibeon.
That’s where it gets interesting. Joshua did what he could, using ordinary wisdom and strategic planning. But once he arrived and engaged the enemy, God stepped in with extraordinary power. The Lord hurled down massive hailstones that destroyed more of the enemy than Joshua’s army could have. Then, in one of the most incredible moments in Scripture, God made the sun stand still so that Israel could complete their victory.
Think about that—Joshua’s faith in action positioned him for a miracle. If he had waited for God to act first, he never would have been in place for the supernatural intervention that followed.
Faith Requires Movement
Too often, we fall into a passive mindset about faith. We say things like:
“I’ll wait until I feel completely ready.”
“I’ll serve when I get a clear, unmistakable sign.”
“If God really wants me to do this, He’ll make it impossible for me to ignore.”
But faith, by its very nature, involves stepping forward before we see the full picture. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Joshua didn’t have a guarantee of divine intervention before he started marching. He just knew that God had given him a mission, and he acted accordingly.
This is the same pattern we see throughout Scripture. Moses had to stretch out his staff before the Red Sea parted (Exodus 14:16). The priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant had to step into the Jordan River before the waters stopped flowing (Joshua 3:15-16). Peter had to step out of the boat before he could walk on water (Matthew 14:29).
What would have happened if they had all just sat back and waited? They would have missed the miracle.
God Acts When We Step Forward
We sometimes expect God to show up in a dramatic way before we take any action. But more often than not, He works through our obedience. He meets us in the middle of the battle, in the thick of the work, in the act of serving.
I once knew someone who had a deep desire to teach the Bible. She had a heart for ministry, a love for Scripture, and a clear gift for explaining spiritual truths. Yet every time an opportunity arose, she hesitated. She would say, “I just don’t feel like God has told me to do it yet.”
Years passed, and she was still waiting for that moment of certainty—waiting for a divine voice, a miraculous confirmation. But God had already given her opportunities. He had already placed people in her life who needed her wisdom. She just never took that first step.
Compare that to Joshua. When he heard about the attack on Gibeon, he didn’t sit in his tent and wait for God to tell him exactly what to do. He knew that defending his allies was the right course of action, so he moved. And once he did, God magnified his efforts beyond anything he could have imagined.
Lessons for Us Today
So, what does this mean for us? How do we apply Joshua’s all-night march to our own lives?
We don’t need to wait for a dramatic sign to serve God. If an opportunity aligns with God’s Word and His character, we should step into it with confidence.
God often acts after we move forward in faith. Joshua didn’t see the miracle until he was in the middle of the battle. If we wait for certainty before acting, we may never experience God’s power at work.
Faith is active, not passive. While there are times when waiting on God is appropriate, there are also times when He expects us to move. It takes wisdom to know the difference, but when in doubt, we should ask: Is this something that aligns with what God has already commanded in His Word? If the answer is yes, then it’s time to move.
What the Experts Say
Commentator Dale Ralph Davis puts it this way:
“Joshua teaches us that faith does not sit around waiting for God to hand out special instructions for every crisis. It moves forward in confidence, trusting that God will guide and intervene as needed.”
Similarly, Old Testament scholar Richard Hess notes:
“The miracle of the sun standing still was a divine amplification of Joshua’s efforts. But it was Joshua’s obedience and courage that positioned him to witness God’s power in such a remarkable way.”
Both of these insights reinforce the same truth: faith is not passive. It is an active trust that moves forward, expecting God to meet us along the way.
Key Insight Statements
“Faith means moving forward before we see the full picture. We don’t wait for the miracle; we step into obedience and trust God to show up.”
“God’s power often follows our obedience. If we refuse to take the first step, we may never see the miracle He has planned.”
“Opportunities to serve are invitations from God—don’t ignore them waiting for something bigger or clearer.”
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For further study on faith in action, check out this article from Desiring God: What Does It Mean to Step Out in Faith?