Read Joshua 3:1-4 – Then Joshua rose early in the morning; and they set out from Acacia Grove and came to the Jordan, he and all the children of Israel, and lodged there before they crossed over. So it was, after three days, that the officers went through the camp; and they commanded the people, saying, “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests, the Levites, bearing it, then you shall set out from your place and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.” (NKJV)
As Joshua and the people are preparing to enter their Promised Land, he and his leadership team make an interesting observation. They’ve “not passed this way before.” Moving into uncharted territory means none of us have any experience with the road ahead. So what’s the plan? Watch the Ark of the Covenant—the symbol of God’s presence and leading in their lives. In a very real sense, Joshua’s command fits our lives too. None of us have ventured into tomorrow yet, so doesn’t it make sense to watch where God would lead us instead of charging into the future with our own wisdom? Even when we’ve been where we’re going, trusting God is still a good idea. How much more are we dependent on Him for what we have not yet seen? Trusting themselves had led to four decades of desert living. Seems probable that we can make that same mistake.
– Dr. Mike Clarensau serves as Senior Director of the Healthy Church Network of the Assemblies of God.
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