Into the obstacle

“And as soon as the priests who were carrying the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” Joshua 3:13

A new generation of Israelites is at the threshold of entering a land promised by God to their forefathers and their parents. The miracles and stories of how God delivered them from Egypt, provided for them, watched over them and directed them during that time has been passed on to this generation from their parents.

Now they stand at the bank of the Jordan River, the gateway to that Promised Land. A land inhabited by people who did not worship Jehovah God; a people whose only means of relinquishing their land would be through hostile encounters.

This was a land so bountiful it has been described as “flowing with milk and honey”, a land already planted with everything the Israelites will need the moment their feet step on it.

One obstacle remained: in order to enter they must first…step.
Step into a river that was running at flood stage (Joshua 4:18). Step into a river that would not stop flowing UNTIL the first priest carrying the ark would enter it.

The one thing we tend to overlook in this passage is that God not only gave the conditions of the water being stopped, He also reminded them I OWN ALL THE EARTH…INCLUDING THE WATER!
“And as soon as the priests who were carrying the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.” Joshua 3:13
The Israelites are going to be faced with difficult situations and hostile people the moment their feet hit the other side of the bank. God’s power has already preceded the Israelites entrance to the Promised Land. When Joshua sent the two spies into Jericho, Rahab testified, “We have HEARD how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea…what you did to the …two kings of the Amorites. When we HEARD of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed…for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” (Joshua 2:10-11)

This verbal confirmation from outside the camp of Israel about the power of God along with the miracle God was about to perform in their crossing of the Jordan will once again strengthen the people’s faith in God’s promises and fulfillment of those promises. This will be the foundation upon which God will move in the conquering of the Promised Land.

Where do you stand today? What is God calling you to do that seems impossible? What obstacles are you facing that are standing between you and the abundant life God has promised you? Will you stand on the banks shaking your head and wringing your hands waiting for ‘it’ to slow down, go away or possibly someone else come in to rescue you? Or will you ‘step in’ to the unknown EXPECTING God to fulfill His promise to you BEFORE it happens? Rest assured, God owns ALL the earth and EVERYTHING in it…including the obstacle standing in your way.