Spirit & Truth # 242
“Crossing the River”
By
Rev. Greg Smith
All of us
have pivotal moments in life, where things have changed and nothing will ever
be the same again. You’ve crossed over
from one stage to another, and there’s no going back. These watershed events are often symbolized
by water crossings. In the book of
Genesis, Eden was surrounded by
rivers. When Adam and Eve were evicted
from Eden, they had to cross the
river from a life of blessing to a life of toil and curse. In Exodus, God miraculously parted the Red
Sea so that the Israelites could cross on solid ground. They left behind their slavery, entering
lives of freedom and new national identity—and life would be changed forever.
Israel
wandered in the wilderness for forty years because of disobedience and
faithlessness. Finally Moses died,
Joshua took the lead, and God was ready to send the people in to possess the
Promised Land. As they stood on the
banks of the Jordan River, they realized that once they
crossed, life would be different than they had ever known before.
In pivotal
moments like this, we need to take our cue from the ancient Israelites. Joshua told the people to follow the Ark
as it went before them, since they had never been this way before.[i] When life presents you with situations that
you have never before encountered, make sure that you put God first. Rather than following your own plans, follow
God’s word, and let Him lead you.
“Joshua told
the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing
things among you.’”[ii] In Joshua’s day, consecrating yourself
involved washing, making sacrifices, and anointing yourself. Today believers should face pivotal moments
in life by living in God’s holiness, receiving the sacrifice of Jesus, and letting
the Holy Spirit anoint them with His presence.
Why did Israel
consecrate themselves? Not for the river
crossing, but because there were enemies ahead.
Believers today also need to realize that there are spiritual enemies
ahead. God wants you to be “more than
conquerors,”[iii] and a
holy life is the only way you can win.
When the
priests’ feet touched the water’s edge, “the water from upstream stopped
flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away...So the people crossed
over opposite Jericho. 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.”[iv]
At the Red
Sea a generation ago, God had first parted the waters and then Israel
had crossed on dry ground. Now at the Jordan,
God expected them to have learned about God’s faithfulness. He expected them to have grown in their own
faith. So God waited for them to take
the first step into the water before He worked the miracle. Too often we sit around waiting for God to
act on our behalf without taking any kind of action ourselves. But God delights in seeing believers step out
in faith. When all your waiting accomplishes
nothing—why not step out?
Life is
going to bring troublesome times. You
may find yourself saying, “Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my
neck.”[v] When you come to those difficult times and you
know life is about to change forever, don’t fear. Trust in God, and “Consecrate yourselves, for
the Lord will do amazing things among you.”
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