Joshua 3:15 And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,) :16 That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan: and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea, failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against Jericho. :17 And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed clean over Jordan.
This chapter is a deep well and there is much to be extracted but today there are two things about this crossing I want us to notice.
1. The Timing Involved
"for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,"
God didn't ask them to cross it when it made the most sense but he waited until flood season. I've looked at pictures of the Jordan River and to be honest I wondered what all the fuss was about until I seen pictures of it in the flood season. God didn't wait for the time most convenient for crossing. He told them to cross at the hardest time possible but let me ask you this. Is anything to hard for God? It was easier for them to cross a flooding Jordan with God than it would have been to cross it when it made sense. Dear friends, often times we are waiting on a time to serve God when it makes sense. Maybe God wants us to cross over our Jordan and we say "Well right now it's to hard" or "A different season in life it will be more convenient." Let me remind you that crossing Jordan is easier with God. Don't concern yourself with the timing of it, follow God and He will do the impossible and what looked to difficult to accomplish will become a plain path before your eyes and where there was no way He will make a way.
2. The Trust involved
" And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water,...." " That the waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap..."
Now this was really going to require some trust on the behalf of the priest and Israel as well. They had heard of God parting waters for them before and some of them had even experienced it at a young age when God parted the Red Sea. The difference though is this. At the Red Sea God parted the waters and then they walked across on dry ground. Now the priest are going to have to get their feet wet. The Jordan didn't part until they were feet deep in the brinks of the river. They marched toward Jordan just like it wasn't there and it wasn't until their feet were in the water that God did His miracle. Dear reader, has God ever asked you to do something that seems to hard or even impossible? God will at times ask us to do the impossible or the impassable. It is in that time that we need to pick up our cross and follow Him. I don't see a way but I'm going on in faith, I don't know how I'll cross this Jordan but I know God does. March on in spite of fear, march on in spite of difficulty, march on Christians, march on!! Preachers especially, we can liken our self to these priest. They had to go before the people and show an example of God's faithfulness and deliverance.The people followed them because they seen God part the waters for the priest and that caused them to have enough faith to cross themselves. Our faith ought to be strong enough to encourage other to trust as well. Following God is going to require a life of trust. Trust in Him in spite of the timing, trust in Him in Spite of fear, Trust in Him when it seems impassable. If you'll do the marching He'll do the miracles!!
I Can Trust Jesus!!
Onward Christian Soldier!!
Comments