Flood Stage

Joshua 3:15

 “Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during the harvest.”

I was sitting in class for the first time that year and I was listening to the teacher talk about her background and the class.  During the introduction that morning she pulled out a huge text book more that 2 inches thick and said “by the time we end this class we will have went all way through this text book as well as more information not in the book.”  You could see everyone’s eye’s get large and the air in room went from cool new class to this seems impossible class after she told us what was about to be our reality for the next months. 

The Israelites were camped on the east bank of the Jordan river.  Their path was to cross the Jordan and take over the land which God has already promised he would give them.  The same land that was filled with large warlike people, and upon self reflection, seemed like they were grasshoppers in their site.  Verse 3 was a command to let the ark of the covenant go before the people, about 3000′ or so, so they will know where to go because they have not been this way before. Someone needs to hear that the Lord will guide you, you don’t need to fear the path just follow the Lord.

The story goes on and the ark of the covenant, being carried by the priest, moves ahead of the people and the priest step one foot into the Jordan river and the river backs up in a heap.  The whole nation crosses the Jordan on “dry ground”, just like the Red Sea crossing. 

You may be facing verse 15 kind of problem in your life.  That boundary or wall in your life looks to be at flood stage or larger than life right in front of you.  Crossing it may look impossible.  During huge rain storms here in Texas we see little rivers go to flood stage in a matter of minutes. The phase “turn around don’t drown” has been used to warn everyone of the power of the water at flood stage. Your issue may seem insurmountable just like crossing one of these rivers at flood stage. Your only options seems to turn around, the problem is just too large.

Have you let the Lord go before you or have you been attempting to move forward without Him?  Genesis 8:14 says, “Is anything to hard for the Lord?”  The Bible also says he will make your paths straight (Proverbs 3:6) if you acknowledge him in all you ways. 

Today, let the Lord go before you and level the mountains (Isaiah 45:2).  We will always be grasshoppers in comparison with the future without Christ, but with Christ we can do all things (Philippians 4:13). That class I took seemed crazy but in the end we did go through the entire book and then some. The Lord is calling all of us to get busy doing what He has shown us to do and stop looking at the raging waters in front of you. The Lord says, “I will take care of that.”

Prayer: Father, life can swing and hit all of us in face. Just like Mike Tyson says, “everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in face.” Maybe some of us have been punched in face and let us in turn, seek your face Lord. We ground our faith in you and stand on the duty of walking by faith and not by sight knowing you are taking care of that raging river which seems to be unpassable. I pray that our hearts and minds are stayed upon you during those times as we rely on you for results. John Quincy Adams said, “Duty is ours results are His”. Lord, we stand and believe in you today for all things and your providential hand that guides us even into harsh places knowing you will be there with us. In Jesus name, amen.