The Seventh Lap

In Jericho, one of the oldest cities in the world

Yesterday we visited the ancient city of Jericho. In the Old Testament, when the people of God were traveling through the wilderness toward the Promised Land, Jericho stood in their way. It was the final obstacle before entering the land God had promised them.

Jericho’s walls were massive, so wide that chariots could ride on top of them. Humanly speaking, there was no way through. Yet God gave Joshua a surprising instruction. He told the people to march around the city once a day for six days, and on the seventh day, to march around it seven times.

Imagine what that must have felt like, walking in the heat, in the dust, tired from the long journey through the desert. The first six days, nothing happened. No cracks. No movement. No sign that anything was changing. They were tired, dusty, and probably discouraged.

Some of them might be thinking, What are we doing out here? We look foolish. This isn’t working. If only they had seen even a small crack in the wall, a loose stone, a sign of progress. But there was nothing. The wall stood just as strong as it had on the first day.

Yet they kept walking. They stayed obedient. They kept trusting God, even when they didn’t understand what He was doing. And on the seventh day, on the seventh time around, the walls suddenly fell. What looked impossible collapsed in a moment.

Some of us are standing before our own walls today. A health challenge. A family concern. A long prayer that seems unanswered. We want immediate results. We want a sign—a small improvement, a hint that things are changing. But faith means trusting even when there is no visible movement.

Sometimes that’s the hardest part of faith. You may be tempted to say, “Nothing is happening. This must not be working.” But don’t stop marching. Don’t let what you don’t see convince you that God isn’t working.

You may be closer than you think. You may be on your seventh lap. Keep doing the right thing. Keep praying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Your obedience is not wasted. Your faith is not forgotten. The walls will fall in God’s perfect time. And when it does, you will see that God was faithful all along.