If you go to bed praying for God to move the mountain and you better be prepared to wake up next to a shovel. Let me explain. Buckle up besties. We are back in our Bible. We're in Joshua chapter three. We are crossing the Jordan. Well, we aren't, but the Israelites are. Joshua 3:13-17. I'm gonna read you three, 13 through 17. All right, let's go. The priests will carry the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream. And the river will stand up like a wall. Easy. Okay, as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off and the river will stand up like a wall. They can cross it. Perfect. So the people left their camp and crossed the Jordan and the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. It was the harvest season and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the ark touched the river's edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zerethan. And the water below that point flowed on into the dead sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near Jericho. Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the ark of the Lord's covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground. Notice that God did not part the river while they were just standing on the shore watching. The priests had to step into the water. The priests had to obey God's commands. The obedience is what got that river to part. Their obedience came before the miracle. The priests that were carrying the ark had to step into the river. The priests had to obey God's commands. Their obedience came before the miracle. The priests that were carrying the ark had to step into the river. God gave them specific instructions in order to cross. The priests had to step into the water. We've covered that. What if these priests had been afraid to take that first step? Hmm, sound familiar? Yeah, like me and you. Afraid to take that first step. Often God provides no solution to our problems until we trust Him and move ahead with what we know He wants us to do. So I encourage you to think about the rivers and the obstacles in your life. In obedience to God, take it for me. Take it from the Holy Spirit. Take that first step. The Israelites crossed the Jordan River in the spring. So this is like another little tidbit, little fun fact. When it was overflowing its banks. God chose the time when the river was at its highest to demonstrate His power, parting the waters so that the entire nation could cross on dry ground. It had been many years since Israel had witnessed God's miracle of parting the Red Sea, so the younger people had only heard about it. Witnessing this miracle would have been an encouragement that God was still with them and he still exists today. Thank you Jesus. The Holy Spirit lives in me and you. He's powerful and he's still able to perform miracles. So don't give up on him. Some say God used a natural occurrence, like a landslide to stop the waters of the Jordan. Others say he did it by direct act. In either case, God showed His great power by working a miracle of timing and location to allow His people to cross the river on dry ground. This testimony of God's supernatural power served to build the Israelites' hope in God and give them a reputation among their enemies who greatly outnumbered them. Praise the Lord. Keep praying. Pray that God will move the mountain, but live like you believe He will. And Jesus loves you. I'll see you soon.
