Crossing

Did you know that after crossing the Red Sea the Israelites also crossed another body of water? It was the Jordan River. This time Joshua led them. It was the harvest season and Jordan was overflowing its banks. Water must be running fast and furious. When Israelites travel, they see to it the Ark of the Covenant is protected. It is a symbol of their commitment to God. They also see to it that the priests who carry it lead the group. So, how did the Lord show his power? As soon as the feet of the priests carrying the ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance. Then all the people crossed over while the priests who were carrying the ark stood on the dry ground. In the middle of the riverbed, the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.

So easy but crossing the Jordan River isn’t like that.

The place where the Israelites camped before they crossed the Jordan River was good. It was filled with good vegetation. Life will be very fine if they stay. The Israelites thought they have everything they needed to live. If I was one of them, I’d probably prefer to stay rather than cross the river and face battles against all other tribes occupying the Promise land. Yes, it was a good place. They have what they need but it was not what God promised. (Read Joshua 3:1-4:24)

In life, we sometimes plunge on false alarms. Life may give us nice choices. We see it is good and we think it is for us. Well, “good things” may not always be for us. We should not always just choose what sounds fine. We should choose what God wants.

We all have our own Jordan Rivers to cross. The Lord does not want us to stay on what we are right now forever. He wants us to grow. The Lord wants us to grow not just with a simple snap of His fingers. He wants us to choose. In our choices, He wants us to trust Him; trust Him for great things. He wants us to take courage just as how the Israelites faced the tribes occupying the Promised Land. He wants us to overcome our own banks of Jordan River. It means moving out of our comforts so we can trust Him more. The more we trust the more we fulfill our life’s purpose, to glorify Him.

After crossing the Jordan River, Israelites did not find it easy. They faced battles. But you know what is more precious? It is not just the land and what was there. Just like the Israelites, when we cross our Jordan River, we get a fresh appreciation of God’s presence, desperate longing for the God’s power and the delight of knowing God. The land, the milk, and honey, these will be just extra. The experience of growth in the Lord is the best.

It may not be a comfortable road for sure but we must start overcoming our Jordan River. Let’s ask God to give us the strength to go through our Jordan River. May God grant us wisdom to learn lessons from whatever situation we face. Let us admit that we cannot overcome challenges with our own strength. Let us put our trust in Him.