Amazing Things

I want to share with you one of my favorite passages from the Bible-Joshua 3:1-5. Whenever I'm faced with an impossible situation, I think of this story. I'm reminded that we serve a powerful God. A God that wants to work through us! If we underestimate God in these situations, we are throwing away an amazing gift!!

V. 1-2: Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp...God told the people of Israel to wait three days at the shores of the Jordan River (Joshua 1:11). All that time, the people of Israel saw a rushing river, swollen with spring rains laying in front of them. They must have asked, ‘How can we ever cross this river?’ It was one thing for a few spies to make their way across the river, as in Joshua 2, but here we are taking a nation of thousands, with all their possessions-how will we make it? At a moment like this, all the wonderful talk about living in the Promised Land probably sounded pretty distant. 

V. 3: ...giving orders to the people: 'When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levite priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Wouldn't Joshua want to send out the military? How about the engineers to look at building a bridge?? Instead, he sent the priests who carried the ark of the covenant, which was the visible representation of God’s presence with the people. Joshua knew this was a spiritual problem, not a feat of human engineering.

V. 4: Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about two thousand cubits between you and the ark; do not go near it.' 2,000 cubits was about one thousand yards. This was in respect of the ark of the covenant, but I think it was also so that these thousands upon thousands of people could see and know they were following the LORD.  

V. 5: Joshua told the people, 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do amazing things among you.' To consecrate or to sanctify themselves meant to separate themselves from common things to focus on the LORD. This verse excites me because I believe the LORD wants to do amazing things today through his people!! Through you, through me, through HIS church!!

If you knew that God was going to do something amazing through you tomorrow how would you live today? Would something need to change? I have a feeling you already know the answer.

-PC

pastorcory@rescuesumner.org

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