After the Death of Joshua: Who Will Fight Next?

After Joshua died, the Israelites still had an enemy to face. They asked the Lord who would go up first, and that question brings us to a challenge for the church today: we need to learn to pray, praise, and obey God for ourselves.

We can be thankful for the spiritual mothers and fathers who came before us. But we can't leave the work of prayer to another generation. Let's look at what this passage teaches us about taking our place.

Worship and gratitude for salvation

The service opened with songs about God's faithfulness through trouble and thanksgiving for salvation. The message was simple: the Lord has been good, and we have reason to praise Him.

That praise continued as people came forward to share what God had done in their lives. Their testimonies reminded us that salvation is more than a word we hear in church. It means something to the person who knows where God found them.

Prayer for healing and a personal encounter with God

Psalm 27:1 says, "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?" Those words helped lead the service into prayer for people who needed healing in their spirit, soul, and body.

There was prayer for people facing cancer, grief, separation, and emotional pain. The message pointed to Jesus' suffering and the hope of healing through Him. If you want to read more about this connection, we discuss spiritual warfare and healing through prayer.

An invitation was also given to anyone who wanted a personal experience with God but didn't know where to begin. The encouragement was to come humbly and tell Him, "I want a personal experience with You, Lord."

Testimonies of lives changed by God

One man spoke about being an alcoholic and feeling lost in darkness before God lifted him up. He also admitted that his concern for lost loved ones had grown dull over time, and he urged the church to return to that first love.

A Vietnam veteran shared that he had tried to drown what he went through with alcohol. He said he was saved at a revival in 1975, and the next day his desire to drink was gone.

A woman testified that her parents were raised in homes marked by alcohol and unfaithfulness, but they gave their hearts to the Lord before she was born. She called the change a generational blessing, because her parents raised their children in church.

Another woman spoke about leaving church after being hurt. When she returned, her children returned too, and her husband began attending. These accounts remind us how much a decision to seek God can mean to a family.

The question after Joshua’s death

Judges 1:1 begins, "Now after the death of Joshua." The children of Israel asked the Lord who would go up first to fight the Canaanites.

Joshua's generation had seen walls fall and territory claimed, but the enemy was still there. The next generation had to face the battle before them.

We can see the application for the church. Many faithful preachers and prayer warriors have gone on to glory, and we thank God for what He did through them. But who will pray for our families now? Who will stand in faith for the next generation?

When comfort weakens spiritual readiness

The church has buildings, music, technology, and resources. Those things have their place, but they can't take the place of prayer or the Holy Spirit's work.

The account of Adoni-Bezek gives us a picture of weakened fighters. In Judges 1:6, his thumbs and big toes were cut off after he fled. He said he had done the same to seventy kings.

The image was used to show how the enemy tries to hinder our ability to fight and run. We can't depend on someone else to do all our praying while we become comfortable and forget the God who gave us our blessings.

Judah and Simeon: Praise and obedience

God answered Israel by saying that Judah should go first in Judges 1:2. Judah is connected with praise, and that gives us something to consider.

Praise tells what God has done. Someone can say, "I was discouraged, and God lifted me up," or "I was in a crack house, and God brought me into the church house." That's a testimony that magnifies Him.

Judah then asked Simeon to go with him in Judges 1:3. Simeon is connected with hearing, and the message joined that hearing with understanding and obedience.

We need prayer and praise, and we need to obey what God says. A person can sing in church, but God also wants that person to follow His Word after leaving the service.

Learning to pray with the Bible

Prayer isn't reserved for ministers, older believers, or a few people at the front of the church. God wants all of us to open our mouths and talk to Him.

During the service, young men came forward with Bibles and phones as the church practiced praying aloud. The purpose wasn't to perform. It was to speak to God and become less afraid of using our voices in prayer.

The challenge was to open the Bible and pray aloud for at least two minutes a day. If you don't know where to start, you can pray a Psalm or a familiar prayer.

Psalm 5:1 begins, "Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation." As we pray Scripture, we can also ask the Holy Spirit to help us. We look at that further in what it means to pray in the Spirit.

A mother’s prayers and a child’s faith

An illustration of family prayer.

One testimony took us back to a frightened 12-year-old boy. He described hearing a voice that threatened to take his mind and urged him to run in front of a car.

Then he remembered hearing his mother pray for her children. He went into her room, cried out, "Help me," and began praying in tongues. He said that the frightening experience left him.

His account brings us back to the prayers of mothers, fathers, and grandparents. We may not always know what our children are facing, but we can bring them before God.

Taking our place in prayer

The generation after Joshua couldn't fight its battles by looking backward alone. We can honor those who taught us to pray and still take up the work God has given us.

Let's open the Word, speak to God, and trust the Holy Spirit to help us. Prayer belongs to the whole church, and the next generation needs to hear it.