If I’d been the foreman of the Jordan River Crossing Committee, I would have had a bridge-building exploratory team, a fording contingency, a subcommittee on rafts, and a weather detail. I might have been tempted to squat on the banks and take soil samples in an attempt to analyze our chances because I love to get organized, make a plan, and then get to work. But the Israelites were specifically instructed to follow at enough of a distance to be able to discern which way the ark was going. The ark went ahead, and the people just had to hang back and watch.
There are few things more difficult for me than to hang back and watch. Unfortunately, taking control of every job is not as practical as it seems. Turns out, I don’t always have all the information, and I’m not always right. This is a hard lesson to learn because humans are adorably hard-headed and obstinate.
God was teaching Israel to consecrate themselves to Him, to learn to walk in His ways, not their own. We are prone to put our own plans on a pedestal, then consult and seek the direction of God as an afterthought. Do you ever find yourself attempting to get Him to approve your plans, instead of seeking first His plan? Even when our plans seem so clever and fitting, we are called to wait on the Lord.
Wait on Him and He will do wonders. His ways and thoughts are higher than our own (Isaiah 55:8–9). We often try to nip at His heels, hoping we can nudge God along to do things our way. Instead, we ought to look for His timing and His wisdom, even when it may not be what we expect. Walking the ark out into the middle of a river hardly seems like a viable crossing plan. But this miracle that God performed among His people was indicative of how He works: in His own ways, unexpectedly, wondrously.
God called His people to dedicate themselves to His ways and leave the specific means to Him. J. Hudson Taylor, a missionary to China in the 1800s, once said, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will never lack God’s supplies.” We are to trust God for the means to accomplish what He purposes and consecrate ourselves to follow His plan, “because the LORD will do wonders” among us and in His own time (Joshua 3:5).
How can we consecrate ourselves like this? Joshua is very clear: “Come closer and listen to the words of the LORD your God” (Joshua 3:9). We do not have a trail of priests and an ark of the covenant to follow. We have an even greater priest (Hebrews 4:14), who has opened access to the mercy seat and leads us safely through the deep waters to the greater promised land. He is the one who does wonders among us. Consecrate yourselves to Him.
I was asking myself “but how will I know?” Come closer, lean in, move forward. I think often times I find myself frozen without the plan. By leaning in, I’ll either be given the insight He’s designed for me or I’ll have my eyes opened to something different.
I’m so glad I’m alive in the time after the curtain was torn and I have Jesus as my priest. Not only because I don’t want to sacrifice animals, but having a line directly to God is the best. Being able to connect with him is the ultimate gift. I’m so thankful for that. Also today’s devotion was a great reminder to let him make my plans not to tell him what plans I have for us. I’m looking forward to seeing how he surprises me.
God wants us to obey and follows His instructions I order to go to the next level which is something awesome that he has planned for us. In the meantime while you have faith in Him, he shows you some awesome and Miraculous things along the way that only he can do. That shows you the power that he has! Stick with God in all things that you do!
Thanks ERB
I thought I was the only one that stopped and we read about the details of the ark: 45 inches long 27 inches wide 27 inches high overlaid with gold on both sides inside and out and how the Arcadia wood was overlaid also with gold.
The detail was pretty amazing to me in the same way whenever I was asked to build the ark God‘s instructions are always so clear in the details and why in the hell comes become pretty evident not while we’re doing it but after it’s been completed.
He tells us to be strong and courageous because he knows we will need strength and courage in this life. We will face suffering and will need to rely on HIS strength to carry us. Listen to the podcast from this week with Christine Caine- she speaks into this!
Won’t He do it! Often it’s not by my timeline or my plan, but HE is faithful & HE is in control!
Lol. Well this hits home. I always want to get ahead of the game and organize and plan then ask God for His help. If only I’d flip it by asking for His guidance first. Just need to let go of the wheel so Jesus can take it.❤
I usually don’t write much, but I do try to write one thing that stood out the most to me. Another thing if you really want to think about the text, answer just four questions-I try to keep it at 1-2 sentences. What does it say? What does it mean? How could I apply it to my life? How does this point to Christ-what’s the Christ connection? Hope that helps!