Have you ever lost a battle and felt like giving up, feeling God has abandoned you. Well, look at Joshua. He is recorded as a great warrior who won many battles and extended Israel’s dominion after the departure of Moses. What is easy to forget, however, is that he did not win all his battles. When Joshua first attempted an attack on the people of Ai, he was badly beaten: “So about three thousand went up; but they were routed by the men of Ai, who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water” (Joshua 7:4–5).

Joshua had lost a battle, but not the war. Later, after seeking the Lord, he discovered that the problem was within. One of his men, Achan, had lived in disobedience to the Lord’s command, and this had removed the Lord’s favour. After Joshua dealt with Achan, he mounted another attack against Ai—and this time the outcome was completely different: “For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai. But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua” (Joshua 8:26–27).

What this episode teaches us is that losing a battle does not mean losing the war. Joshua was a highly favoured warrior, specially commissioned by God, yet even he had to lick his wounds on occasion. This means that even you may not win every battle, but that does not mean God has forgotten you. In Joshua’s case, the loss drew him closer to the Lord, who revealed the sin that was causing the defeat. In other words, the setback brought him nearer to God. Most importantly for us is knowing losing a battle does not mean losing the war. Joshua got up and fought again—and this time, having dealt with the sin within, victory came.