Let the walls fall down!

Once again, here is some moooooooooooooood music :)...

Yesterday, (again, in a devotional...so cool!) we read about Joshua and the walls of Jericho out of the kid's picture scriptures.  They are told to march around the city once a day, making no noise but one blast from the trumpets, for seven days.  Then, on the seventh day, they march around seven times and then yell with all their gusto.

And the walls fall down.

They must have looked pretty foolish.  I thought about the people in the great and abominable building in Lehi's dream when I pictured the people on the walls of Jericho, mocking and jeering.  It would have been hard!

But they marched. They shouted.  And, again, the walls came down.

I have seen the hand of God miraculously bring down some "walls" in my life through some of the unusual things He has had me do: homeschooling, having lots of kids, TJEd and Leadership Education, starting a demanding, scholar-level youth group with lots of little kids, starting a choir four months before we move out of our house,... moving to Hungary.

I have even seen the "walls come down" in the transition time we had in West Jordan: people we met, things my kids learned about themselves and others, and stronger relationships with family. For instance, the whole experience would have been worth it just for one precious conversation with Shara over cleaning towards the end of our stay in West Jordan!  And that is just one of the miracles of family that we experienced!

Now in Hungary, the blessings continue to unfold, the greatest ones being what we have seen in our children...miracles in how they think about themselves, others, Heavenly Father and the Gospel.  It has been amazing!

You know, I have often wondered what in the world would entice John the Beloved and the three Nephites to stay on the earth and keep doing the work of God rather than go straight-away to heaven on their deaths.  It seemed noble, but I couldn't understand that being the deepest desire of their hearts.
  
Yet, as I feel the euphoria that comes with seeing God use my family to work miracles in our lives and in the lives of others, in all our imperfections...I get a glimpse.  As hard as it is at times, the wave of positive awesomeness that follows seeing walls come down is truly incredible!

Maybe that is what John and the Nephites stayed for...to watch and participate, first hand, in the walls coming down as the work of God goes forward?  To be one of the ones who felt their feet hurt as they walk silently around, to be one of the ones that felt the surge of passion as they bellowed at the top of their lungs, to be one of the ones who feels the ground rumble and the dust swirling around as the miracle happens!

I know these miracles happen in our lives...that these walls fall down.  They happen every time we follow a prompting, no matter how crazy it seems.  It can be calling that person, writing that letter, saying "hi," sitting down and snuggling instead of cleaning the dishes...promptings very often don't make sense and why should they?

Isaiah 55:8-9:

 8 ¶For my ^athoughts are not ^byour thoughts, neither are your ^cways my ^dways, saith the Lord.

 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ^aways ^bhigher than your ways, and my ^cthoughts than your thoughts.

Need some walls to come crashing down in your life?  Follow the promptings--no matter how crazy they may seem!  no matter how people may mock!--and you will witness miracles!