April 11

Joshua 3:13-17

The Israelites arrived at the Jordan River.  Imagine their hearts in finally reaching the point that will cross them over to their long awaited destination. The priests were carrying the Ark of the Covenant. It was the most sacred treasure of Israel and a symbol of God's presence and power.  In it contained the Ten Commandments, a jar of manna, and Aaron's staff.  The Israelites were ready to cross into the promised land and as I was reading the passage I realized that God had given them the instruction on how to cross --  He goes first. As soon as the priests who were carrying the ark stepped into the water with the ark, the waters flowing downstream were cut off. What a parallel to be drawn! First, God goes before us then we step!  After thinking about this I realized that often God will provide solutions for us, open up doors for us, and He is waiting for us to take the first step.  Through their entire journey God had gone before the Israelites parting seas so they could safely move from one place to the next and despite their back sliding, God always went before them and carried them safely to their next destination.  As I prayed over this, I realized that God does the same for us. I began to realize that perhaps God has already gone before me and is waiting for me to take the first step in certain areas of my life. Because God is omnipresent He has gone before me, cleared a path for me, and His Spirit still is with me, ready to walk with me, waiting for me to catch up!  The miracle of the Red Sea parting to allow the people of Israel to get out of Egypt along with the miracle of the Jordan River parting to allow the people to get into the promised land shows us that God keeps His promises.  Whatever it is you are waiting for, He has already gone before you, and is waiting for you to take the first step, by faith, into the next step of the journey.  I pray we all have the discernment, strength and courage of Joshua.

Randi