Piles of Water

Yesterday afternoon I was reading from the Book of Joshua 3:7-8, 13-17 NIV:

[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.' ”

[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."

I had a couple of thoughts as I read these verses.  First, God cares about His people and His anointed leaders and what they think about Him.  God wanted the people to know for sure that He was with them.  Even though they had an awesome history of the Lord leading and guiding them the last 40 years in the desert, the people still had doubts about God's faithfulness and ability to guide them and lead them, so once again God did something so astounding that none could doubt!  God has never finished, never done so much that He won't or can't do more!

Second, God wants His people to know that He is with them during this time of transition, this time of entering into a new season!  He called them and directed them and wanted them confident in stepping into this new season.  So rather than call them to move across the Jordan during the dry season, when it would have been an easy crossing, God calls them to move when the river was in flood stage!  In other words God doesn't always move when logic says to do something, rather God moves when His actions are seen in their fullest sense.  In causing them to follow Him when it made the least amount of logical sense, He caused the people to trust in Him and not circumstances.

Third, God cared what the people thought about Joshua as a leader.  He wanted to make sure that they didn't doubt him, even though he wasn't Moses.  Imagine if you were called to step into the leadership role that Moses had vacated!  That would be a very imposing situation, but because God loved Joshua, and wanted the people to follow his leadership and guidance, He allowed Joshua to be exalted in the people's eyes.  It is important to note that this was God's idea, not Joshua's.

Fourth, God understands our fears, so He leads the way!  He realizes that we struggle with fear, trust and belief, so when necessary, He will open the way for us!  Also, He won't just open the door, but it will remain open as long as necessary!  I kind of imagine this like God opening the door, like a fine gentleman, and holds it open as long as it was needed to be opened.  Once the last of the people crossed, He let the river flow back into its normal banks.

Lastly, I was thinking about the fact that God often uses water when He is showing a sign to His people.  He walks on water (Matt 14:22-29), He causes water to flow into the dry desert all at once (2 Kings 3:20), He parts the water (Exodus 14:1-31), He piles the water up  (Josh 3:16), He makes water flow from the rock (Exodus 17:6), He changes water to wine (John 2:1-10).  I think that part of the reason, is that water is malleable, able to be changed and formed.  I know I want to be willing to change so much that the Lord chooses to work through my life!

So today, I am encouraged that the Lord knows me, knows my need to trust and belief, knows I need encouragement to enter into new seasons of life while following His direction and leading!  He is so good, he provides exactly what we need!  Finally I am encouraged to be changeable, that the Lord might find me readily willing to change, that He might move in and through my life!

Amen!