So when the people set out from their tents to pass over the Jordan with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people, and as soon as those bearing the ark had come as far as the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the brink of the water (now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest), the waters coming down from above stood and rose up in a heap very far away, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, were completely cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. Now 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. Joshua 3:14-17.
Israel did not see the power of God until they took a bold step of faith. What was remarkable was it was not until the feet of the priests actually stepped into the water that the power of God held back the waters so the people of Israel could pass across the stream bed. It would have been easier for Israel to ask, expect or even demand that God needed to act first and then they would step into the riverbank to cross the Jordan.
A bold step of faith was not imagining their own vision, they were committed to live out God’s promises. The entire focus of Joshua was to lead the people to possess the promises God had made to His people long ago when He established His covenant with Abraham. What this tells us is that God wanted to richly bless His people. The complaint of Israel had been an ongoing grumbling that God had saved them to put them in the desert to die. They complained they did not have enough food, water, they did not like the weather. There were all kinds of things they complained about. But the Promised Land was God’s provision and blessing for His people. His people did not have the faith to trust Him.
Israel’s faith was more about following God’s leading and not trying to imagine how God could make their dreams come true. Both Mission and Vision are about stepping into the purpose and promises of God. The problem for most believers is often we do not value His purpose and promises so we end up wandering through a wilderness for much of our lives wondering why God is not more personal and powerful. God is not a concierge making our dreams come true, He is the Lord fulfilling His purpose through His people.
God was building His kingdom through His people; God’s people were not trying to get God to help them build their kingdom. God’s blessing are overwhelming and often were a distraction for Israel. In Deut. 8, God warned His people to not take His generosity for granted. He warned them not to forget about Him and think they had acquired all these things on their own strength. Unfortunately, Israel became more enamored with God’s gifts than the One who gave the gifts. What a strange dilemma that God’s generosity became the very thing His people would stumble over. In spite of these complications and possible traps, God did not withhold His richest blessing to His people even when He knew His people would get hung up on them.
But the greater risk would be to never take any bold steps of faith. The greatest danger for a church would be to simply exist for the contentment of their members. The church becomes a hiding place from a scary world and faith is exchanged for fear. Certainly no one would think they are not exercising faith, but it might simply be about building a wall around their lives, so they do not have to deal with the outside world. As we get older, we can get more anxious about how to operate in a world we no longer understand. In like manner, God will fulfill His end of the promise. We can be like the Israel who wandered in the wilderness, or we can be like Israel who was willing to take one small step into the Jordan, to see the power of God fulfill His promises.
In His grace,
Pastor Brad
