How our faith is built… Part 4

Today is the day God is going to do something amazing! Are you ready? I have to admit, I am a little nervous. As we begin to trust God by obeying His Word, we are about to discover the most incredible thing! This is how our faith is built, one step at a time.

Let’s go!

Joshua 3:5-17 reads;

⁶ Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up and went ahead of them.

⁷ And the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. ⁸ Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’”

Go and stand in the river. 

⁹ Joshua said to the Israelites, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God. ¹⁰ This is how you will know that the living God is among you and that he will certainly drive out before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites and Jebusites. ¹¹ See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you. ¹² Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. ¹³ And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”

¹⁴ So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. ¹⁵ Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, ¹⁶ the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. ¹⁷ The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.

Key points for how our faith is built:

• God told Joshua what was going to happen. Joshua trusted God by obeying.
• The ark went ahead of them. The ark represents God, therefore God went before them. They were following God.
• The waters were at flood stage. God often works in impossible situations. That way, only God can get the glory.
• God said “as soon as the priest…set foot in the Jordan, its waters…will be cut off.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Imagine yourself as one of those priests. God has told them what to do. But knowing what to do and doing it are two different things. As you approach the river, you can hear its rushing waters way before you ever see it. The closer you get to the bank, the faster your mind moves. You begin to doubt what you have heard. Questioning yourself and the reality of the situation, you begin to talk yourself out of this crazy plan. Yesterday you believed but today, not so much. You are thinking, “there must be another way because there is no way I am going to cross this river and live.”

Then something happens. Suddenly, you remember the words, ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.” 

Remember the words… 

Your instructions, “Go and stand in the river.” Your heart is about to pound out of your chest. There is no way this is going to work. Again you hear, “Go and stand in the river.” As you step toward the river, you feel the water soak your feet. Wanting to believe, you push against the current and take one more step. In a flash, something amazing happens. The waters begin to rescind and before you know it, you are standing in the middle of a dry river bed. You are standing in faith and God is acting in love.

This is how our faith is built, one step at a time, until you find yourself standing in the middle of a miracle!

Let us pray:

Oh Miraculous God, thank you for building our faith one step at a time. Give us the courage to step in faith even when we cannot see. Help us to hear, trust and obey You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

P.S. Leave me a comment because I love hearing from you. Forward this message to a friend. Share on Facebook and tag me in it. Until next time, as we continue to learn how our faith is built, we must remember. -M