The river ahead is at flood stage,
water spilling over the edges
and onto the shore sand all around,
no way to cross, full of sledge.
The other side is out of sight.
We’ve been stranded three days,
waiting for word: what’s next?
Now Joshua tells us to break camp.
We priests must carry the ark ahead
and go stand in the Jordan!
We’re told that God says,
“Trust me! Step into flood waters
and you’ll see what I will do!”
So those of us who carry the ark
(it holds our holy covenant,
precious legal agreement
made with our God Yahweh),
we move ahead with caution,
stepping into rushing waters
just as Joshua told us to.
The waters begin to recede,
the flow from the source upriver
turning into a tall wall! It stalled!
Our feet are standing on dry ground!
How can this be? But yes: it is!
So we stay there in the middle
as the people swarm on past us,
tribe by tribe, eyeing the wall,
thousands reaching the other side
carrying baggage and children.
Even the flocks make it across!
We see the last ones climb ashore
and think that now it’s time to move,
but no! Twelve men come hurrying
back to the middle where we wait,
still holding the ark of the covenant.
They each pick up a special rock,
carefully choosing a lovely one
to serve as a stone of remembrance—
monuments to the powerful truth
that the Living God is among us,
active! He transformed a raging river
into a highway for his people.
We make our way to the other side,
the ark lifted up on acacia rods,
high and triumphant! Yes! Oh wow!
As we step onto footprinted sand
we hear the roar of the water wall
falling, spilling down from the north,
filling the river behind us.
We have all crossed over!
We are safe! Yes, once again
the Mighty One has parted waters!
What our parents told us
about how they crossed the Red Sea,
fleeing from the enemy army,
that has now happened to us.
We are now marching ahead
into enemy territory. Scary, true!
A walk of faith indeed! But we
ourselves have seen his hand at work,
his Presence making a way again
where, indeed, there was no way!
We’ve heard the stories: God parted the Red Sea so that Israel could cross before Pharaoh’s army could kill them, he fought the battle of Jericho through the faith of his people circling the city—and more! Maybe your parents or pastor told you about times when they could not explain a certain answer to prayer, something that happened in their own lives. Then you face a tough situation and you know only God could make a way through this one.
What do you—what do I—do next?
It’s easy to just pray and hope, or take action. But God’s Word is also clear that we must ask him about what to do before leaping in!
After the Israelites saw God part the Jordan River (Joshua 3), then bring down Jericho’s walls, then direct them in an ambush strategy that allowed them to conquer the major city of Ai, they thought they were set. They were a conquerers and could figure things out on their own. So when men came to them dressed in ragged clothes and with personal food supplies of moldy bread, they convinced them that they were from far away and wanted to make a treaty with this powerful invading nation. The Israelites checked the stale bread, decided these strangers really were from a distant country, and swore a treaty of peace with them. But they “did not inquire of Yahweh” (Joshua 9:14). So those people, from the key city of Gibeon, were never conquered. They did become servants of Israel. But when they were attacked, Joshua and his army had to defend them. This time they acted with Yahweh’s word of approval. It was a learning curve for them: ask God before deciding what to do!
This warning stuck out to me in the ongoing stories of warfare in the book of Joshua. Not asking Yahweh for direction meant that Joshua and his people were relying on their own discernment. And as a result they were deceived.
We each need to remember to ask for guidance when we are confronted with a problem rather than rushing ahead to do whatever comes to mind. It requires listening for that inner voice of the Spirit that lives in us. He may speak through a Scripture verse, via a palpable prompting or the words of a godly partner. But waiting for him to answer is always the right thing to do!
As we keep on stepping into this new year, let’s learn to ask AND listen for our God’s guidance! He is the living God, and he is with us.
Linnea's Lines 