Scripture
“When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, follow them. Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you.”
Joshua 3:3-4
Observation
The people of God are on the move yet again. They are under the leadership of Joshua and are heading toward their first conquest, Jericho. The first order of business, however, is to cross the Jordan river which was at flood levels presently. The generation before had seen the mighty hand of God part the waters of the Red Sea for them to cross and escape the Egyptians. Now it was their turn – their turn to trust the God of their ancestors to be their God, too – to be the God who goes before them and prepares the way, even parting the waters for them to cross. The God who did it then would do it again. They just had to stay close to their guide and rest in the fact that God would do the rest. “You have never traveled this way before”, so follow the presence of the Lord. Stay close, His presence will lead the way. This reminds me of the song, “This is How I Fight My Battles” (Surrounded) by Upper Room. The way the people of God would cross into new territory in safety and in victory is by staying close to the presence of God. He would go before them, He would part the way ahead of them, He would fight their battles. God would guide them through this uncharted territory.
Application
Like the Israelites of old the people of God find themselves in uncharted territory. All churches have been told they can no longer gather together as we have been used to doing for centuries. To stem the spread of Covid-19 we can no longer gather in groups any larger than 10. Our generation has definitely “never traveled this way before”. We’ve got a flooding Jordan of issues that we are stepping into- How to care for the health, finances, provision, spiritual, and mental welfare of those entrusted to our care when we can’t even get near them. Not to mention what life looks like on the other side of this Jordan. Yes, it’s called a Promised Land, but it’s filled with enemies to conquer that we have never faced before. What does the Church look like after not having met together for many months? What does our country look like in the almost inevitable Recession that we are walking in to? Even the leaders of our country are showing cracks of concern in this crisis, “There is something much worse about this crisis that we face. I have never sensed a greater sense of uncertainty, a greater fear of the future, of the unknown,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “We don’t know how long this crisis will last.” Joshua was smart in that he told the people of Israel to stay close to the presence of God. He wasn’t setting himself up as the guide, because he’d never been here before either. When I have gone on mission trips to foreign countries I have learned the most important thing is to stay close to the leader of the mission. He or she had been in Mexico, Albania, Brazil, etc. before and knew exactly what to do, where to go, what to avoid. God is our guide. He will split the waters we just need to step in. God is our guide in this uncharted territory. He will bring cause the walls to fall we just need to keep worshipping Him in the midst of our circumstances. Whether we are leading our homes, businesses or ministries we must model what it looks like to stay close to the God who will guide us through. We need to look our loved one’s in the eyes, digitally of course, and declare with utmost certainty, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”(Josh. 3:5).
Like the Israelites of old, the people of God find themselves in uncharted territory. All churches have been told they can no longer gather together as we have been used to doing for centuries. To stem the spread of Covid-19 we can no longer gather in groups any larger than 10. Our generation has definitely “never traveled this way before”. We’ve got a flooding Jordan of issues that we are stepping into- How to care for the health, finances, provision, spiritual, and mental welfare of those entrusted to our care when we can’t even get near them. Not to mention what life looks like on the other side of this Jordan. Yes, it’s called a Promised Land, but it’s filled with enemies to conquer that we have never faced before. What does the Church look like after not having met together for many months? What does our country look like in the almost inevitable Recession that we are walking in to? Even the leaders of our country are showing cracks of concern in this crisis, “There is something much worse about this crisis that we face. I have never sensed a greater sense of uncertainty, a greater fear of the future, of the unknown,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. “We don’t know how long this crisis will last.” Joshua was smart in that he told the people of Israel to stay close to the presence of God. He wasn’t setting himself up as the guide, because he’d never been here before either. When I have gone on mission trips to foreign countries I have learned the most important thing is to stay close to the leader of the mission. He or she had been in Mexico, Albania, Brazil, etc. before and knew exactly what to do, where to go, what to avoid. God is our guide. He will split the waters we just need to step in. God is our guide in this uncharted territory. He will bring cause the walls to fall we just need to keep worshipping Him in the midst of our circumstances. Whether we are leading our homes, businesses or ministries we must model what it looks like to stay close to the God who will guide us through. We need to look our loved ones in the eyes, digitally of course, and declare with utmost certainty, “Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you.”(Josh. 3:5).
Notice, who is doing the wonders among us? I have to remind myself of this as I’m daily grappling with the weight of the unknowns and the well-being of my family, church, and community. So, I choose to purify myself through repentance, to praise You in the midst of my circumstances, and to pursue closeness with You as never before. “This is how I fight my battles. It may look like I’m surrounded but I’m surrounded by You."
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