What if the delay isn’t a detour, but part of God’s design? In Joshua 5, we find Israel standing on the edge of a promise, yet before they move forward, God calls them to pause. Sometimes, God’s timing doesn’t look like our timing, and the waiting can leave us wondering what He’s doing. But even when it feels like nothing is happening, God is still at work. In this message, When the Delay Is Design, we’ll discover how God uses seasons of waiting to prepare us for what’s next, deepen our trust in Him, and remind us that His promises are always worth waiting for.
If you’re in a season where progress feels slow and the next step isn’t clear, be encouraged: God may be doing something in the delay that you can’t yet see. At Epikos, we believe following Jesus means learning to trust Him in every season, even when His plans don’t unfold the way we expected. Join us as we explore Joshua 5 and discover how to find purpose in the pause, trust God’s process, and move forward in His timing. The delay may not mean you’re being denied. It may be part of the design.
Reflection Questions:
- What stuck out in today’s message? What did you find challenging and encouraging? Did you learn anything new?
- Share a time when you were ready to move forward, and something forced you to wait. How did you feel in the moment?
- Read Joshua 5:1-12. What reaction did the foreign kings have toward the news about Israel and their God? Where else in the book of Joshua have we read this same reaction?
- According to the text, why was it necessary for the Israelites to be circumcised?
- How does God rename the place where the events of this chapter take place? Why is that significant?
- Why is it significant that the Israelites observed their first Passover and that the manna stopped at this point in the passage?
- What does this passage show us about the reliability of God’s promises?
- God’s provision in multiple seasons of the lives of the Israelites is on display in this passage (manna and fruits of the land). What does this teach us about God’s provision and timing in our lives?
- Pastor Mark walked us through how delays reveal our desire for control, desire for worth or value (especially connected to productivity), or what we truly desire. Which one resonates with you right now and why?
- What spiritual practices have you leaned on to reorient your heart to worship God in the midst of unknowns?
- Who in your life is in a long “delay” right now, and how could this group walk with them?
