March 10

March 10, 2012   

 

Have you ever faced an impossible situation?  I'm sure we all have; in fact you might be facing one right now. It could be finances, health, career, marriage, children, addiction or a hundred other issues. Try to imagine you are an Israelite and for 40 years the only thing people have talked about at the local coffee shop is "The Promised Land." Now you are ready to enter the Promised Land. So you wake up early one morning and start walking west. All of a sudden you start seeing water, lots of water. The Jordan River is at flood stage during the harvest season. Under normal conditions, the river is crossable by foot; in many places it is only waist deep. But during harvest time, the river rages! So what is the problem, just swim across. Guess how many of the Israelites have taken swimming lessons at the "Jewish Community Center" over the past 40 years?  None, they were facing an impossible situation. Nobody knew how to swim. There was no way they could cross this river on their own! This was going to require a huge God sighting.  

To have victory over an impossible situation requires several steps. The first step is to acknowledge the presence of God in that situation. We are never alone. The Ark of the Covenant was the symbol of the presence of God. This Ark was to be carried in front of the people. What God told them to do is to focus on His presence, and not the impossible situation. Acknowledge His presence in your problem.

Their second step was to consecrate themselves. This means they needed a powerwash of their hearts. They were to put away anything that was displeasing to the Lord. God can't hang around with people who are living in disobedience to His Word. 

The third step was to expect God to work. Joshua told them, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you." When the nation went back to their tents that night, what do you think they talked about? What amazing thing is the Lord going to do?  What amazing things do you think God is going to do this month in Stamford? If we don't expect him to do any, we shouldn't be surprised when He does nothing.

The fourth step was actually choosing to step into the water. When the priests stepped into that raging river, it parted and God opened a path of dry ground through the waters for His people. What is incredible is the timing of all of this. Since the waters had dammed up 20 miles upstream, that meant it had already happened before their feet touched. This is a great example of the sovereignty of God working with the free will of man. Together they had perfect harmony. In your impossible situation you can't just wait on God to do it. Faith gives you the courage to walk towards the water.

Finally, you need to set aside some remembrance of God's mighty workings.  One person from each tribe went back and removed a boulder.  Verse 6 says these stone were to serve as a visible sign. So in the future when their children asked, "What are these stones here for?"  They could tell them about the mighty power of God.  It is good for us when we go through impossible situations to record the God sighting or have some symbol of remembrance.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, we want to thank you that you are a God who enters into all of our impossible situations.  We want to see our faith develop as we face these impossible situations. We simply ask you to be our leader and guide and for us to know your presence. You may lead us into scary situations but we trust you. Lord, you have our permission to be out front. Today we consecrate ourselves. We anticipate the great things that will follow. In the powerful name of Jesus we pray this, Amen.