4/11

Joshua 3:17

¹⁷Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

God is so faithful to put up with our weaknesses and help us to see what is true. The Israelites had seen great wonders done through Moses. Even then they were barely able to follow his lead. They contended with him for most of those forty years in the wilderness, fighting for power, for personal desires, or just insisting they were right and he was wrong. Over and over again God showed that He was working through Moses and that Moses was His servant.

Now Moses is dead. Before he died he ordained Joshua to lead and placed hands on him, imparting a spirit of wisdom. The people had seen all this and promised to follow Joshua. They even said, "As we obeyed Moses, so will we obey you." I wonder if Joshua rolled his eyes and thought, "Don't they remember all the times they and their parents rebelled against him?"

The grace of God started Joshua off with a wonderful miracle that connected the trust they had developed for Moses' leadership to trust in Joshua. Just as Moses had them cross the Red Sea on dry ground, Joshua was going to lead them across the Jordan at flood stage on dry ground. That prepared them to trust in Joshua's encounter with God regarding the unconventional plan for conquering Jericho.

When God challenges us to take steps of faith, He usually prepares us in advance with experiences. He knows our doubts and fears. He will graciously prepare us for what is coming next. Today we don't need a man like Joshua to lead us. We have the God-man, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and God's Word. We do need our trust built up to follow His lead, but don't worry. Instead, watch and God will prepare you for what comes next. He is gracious and faithful.

Prayer: Lord, increase my faith to follow wherever You lead. Help me to learn from the things You bring me through so that my faith can grow to follow where You lead tomorrow.