March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets.
- Joshua 6:3-4

The Lord’s plan for this battle seems unusual: “March around the city for a week and hope for the best. Trust me … it’s going to work” (that’s our paraphrase).

The Lord often works in mysterious ways. That popular proverb prompts peace until you’re stuck in the middle of a weird “mysterious-ways” situation.

Throughout the book of Joshua the Lord would give his people strange marching orders. He did this so they would continue to learn to trust him. He did this so they would know that their victory depended on him. You’ve got to imagine that there were times when it was difficult to follow the Lord’s strange marching orders.

The strangeness of the Lord’s guidance doesn’t go away after the book of Joshua. Keep reading and you’ll hear about men and women asked to show unusual courage in the face of long odds. You’ll see prophets called to stick their necks out for God’s sake. You’ll hear commands to love enemies. And you’ll see – strangest of all – God becoming human and following this same strange pattern of behavior: courageous in the face of danger and so, so full of love.

When have God’s commands struck you as strange? When have you had difficulty following God’s directions? When have you followed guidance from God you didn’t understand and experienced blessing as a result?