Thursday, June 24, 2010

Step Into the Water - First

I tend to over-spiritualize. I know this about myself.

This morning was a prime example.

I'm laying in bed and I roll over to look at the clock. 5:23. I am tired. And kind of blank. I have a few ideas on my mind for my blog, but if it ain't Spirit-led then I don't need to be writing it. So I start to pray and ask for clarity.

I hear, "Step into the water first."

Say what? Hello?

Step into the water? Then I remember. Last night. The boy's Bible story - The Crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3).

I'm not ashamed to say, "Praise God for kiddie Bibles!"
This girl learns so much. *grin*

Let me paint - there's a picture of a distraught little boy (Joshua) sitting along a bank, looking into a river of rushing water (big, smiley goldfish are popping up out of the river and Joshua has a puppy. Grant looked at me and said, "Is that Joshua? How old was he? Did he really have a puppy?")

Umm. No.

Here's the story as I read it to the boys...

"The Lord said, 'Joshua, be strong and brave! Do not be afraid. I will be with you wherever you go.' Joshua then told the people, 'Tomorrow, God will do amazing things.' The Israelites prayed and believed God would perform a miracle for them to enter the Promised Land.

The next day, Joshua told the priests to go to the river and step into the water. The brave priests obeyed Joshua. They carried the Holy Box (The Ark of the Covenant) from the Holy Tent to show that God was with them. At the moment they stepped into the River, the water stopped flowing".......

I paused.

"Mom? Finish the story." Grant said.

"Oh.... "And all the people of Isreal crossed the Jordan River on dry ground."

Great story. The devotional last night was really more about Bravery, God's provision and the Faith of God's people. But the part that stopped me was THOSE PRIESTS.

Can you imagine?

I bet you the priests went to bed thinking, "O.K. So when we wake up, the water will be parted, then we will carry the Ark on over." Or...."Once we get there, the water will calm down and start to lower, then we'll know when to start walking." Or..."I bet Joshua will go first. He'll test it all out (since this was his big idea) and we'll follow behind him - on dry ground."

Nope.

Joshua 3:15 says, "The Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest." Well, it was harvest. Rushing, flooding water.

"Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground." Joshua 3:15-17

Glory.

How many times do I not step forward because the water hasn't stopped rushing? How many opportunities have I missed because I get to the water's edge and think, "Wait a minute. This must not be what I'm suppose to do. I thought the land would be dry."

The Lord sometimes wants me to get my feet wet first - to step into the rushing water, in Faith, no tangible blessing in sight, before He reveals His plan.

That's hard to do.

But can you imagine how pleased God was with THOSE PRIESTS?
Well done men. Way to believe Me.

I want to have faith like that.

So this morning, He called me to step into the water first (or out of bed), before he revealed His plan. Yes, this is a teeney-tiny thing in the grand scheme of obedience, but I want to be obedient in the little things, too.

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

What is it that the Lord is calling you to step into?
You know it may look crazy, right? Like rushing, flood water crazy.

But He will not leave you. Or forsake you. That is guaranteed.

3 comments:

  1. Becky, that is so true! How many times do we "check" our plans by saying, "if it is what God wants, it will happen." What a call out of the comfort zone to read about stories of the faithful and find out what faith really means. I keep thinking about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and how they were with Daniel, but also tested alone. They didn't know they would be delivered until they were thrown in the blazing fire!
    "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up." Wow, I yearn to have faith like that!
    P.S. Check out the Shane and Shane song "Burn us up" about that story. Its great!

    ReplyDelete
  2. such an encouragement today, becky. And I think I'll step out and into the water at the pool. Hahahahah. = ) Love you, girl!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Isn't our God amazing?! He was faithful to give you this word for today! You are so right....sometimes God chooses NOT to move until we are WILLING to move first. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow and He is still telling us today.... "be strong and brave! Do not be afraid. I will be with you wherever you go.' Joshua then told the people, 'Tomorrow, God will do amazing things.'" He still wants to do amazing things in our life. Sometimes, He is simply waiting on us to step out in faith!
    Thank you for this "spiritual push"....encouraging us to trust God and step out first!

    ReplyDelete

Comments...I love them. I read them. They encourage my socks off. Thanks!

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

Related Posts with Thumbnails


Made with graphic elements by Cori Gammon