Crossing the River of Impossibility
Joshua chapters 3 and 4 recount the Israelite crossing of the Jordan River. God had performed numerous miracles amongst the Israelites: 10 plagues, the crossing of the Red Sea and manna in the desert to name a few. Nevertheless, one final “impossible” hurdle faced them as they prepared to take possession of the Promised Land - the Jordan River at flood stage!
Here in Central Texas we can certainly related to floods. We may be in a drought at the moment, but when the rains come and the rivers rise, it is not safe to cross a road with even a foot of water running over it.
If the Promised Land represents victorious Christian living for us today, what impossible hurdles stand in your way? “Impossibilities” common to many include righteous living, character changes and evangelistic hopes & aspirations. From the story recounted in Joshua, we can learn two things:
Keep Your Eyes Fixed On God
The Ark of the Covenant, the very presence of God, went before the Israelites into the river. As the priests carrying the Ark set foot into the river, the waters stopped flowing and the entire nation crossed over on dry land. Interestingly, however, God had the priests stand in the middle of the Jordan while everyone passed through! He did this so that no one would lose their focus on him.
In the same way, we need to keep our eyes fixed on the LORD. In Matthew 14, Peter walked on the water while focused on Jesus. The minute he took his eyes off of Jesus he began to notice the storm and began to sink. If we are to navigate the storms and challenges of our lives, we must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus!
Take a Step of Faith
While keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord, we must take a step of faith. Sitting on the bank of the river staring at the Ark of the Covenant would not have gotten the Israelites very far. They had to take a step of faith. An appropriate challenge for each one of us would be to make one step of faith this week.
Stones of Remembrance
Once the Israelites crossed the river, God had each tribe take a stone from the river in order to build a monument to what had happened. In the same way, we can never forget the miracles God has performed in our lives and we can never let our children forget the miracles we’ve seen. We all have a story to tell. The miracles of today are the building blocks of tomorrow’s faith! Let us face our respective “rivers of impossibility!”
