Crossing Jordan

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."
2 Corinthians 5:7

This is it! In Joshua 3:6, the Israelites are finally ready to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land. They have learned the lessons of the wilderness. They are prepared and purified. Not satisfied to wander any longer, they are ready to follow God into new territory. Are you ready to let God take you where you've never been before? Are you ready to trust and follow Him fully? For He is "able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20

It is worth noting that Jesus Himself was baptized in the Jordan River. Matthew 3:16 says, "When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." When Jesus entered public ministry, He first submitted to the act of water baptism. At that same time, God demonstrated His anointing by sending the Holy Spirit upon Jesus. The name "Jordan" means "descending one". In the Jordan, the Spirit descended on Jesus and empowered Him for ministry. This is the same Spirit that lives in us! God told Joshua in 3:7 that "this day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel so that they may know that as I was with Moses, so I will be with you." Joshua is a picture of Jesus, anointed by God to lead the people into the Promised Land.

Joshua then spoke to the priests and told them to carry the ark of the covenant and go before the people. When they came to the edge of the Jordan, they were to "stand still" in it. In those days the Jordan river was typically 100 feet wide, but fall floods could cause it to be one mile wide and overflowing its banks. Crossing this river in the fall would be no easy task! But Joshua told the people that the crossing of the ark signified that God was with them and would drive out the "ites"of the land (Joshua 3:10). He wanted them to be courageous and have FAITH in their awesome God.

The priests and representatives of the tribes were instructed to put their feet in the river and then the water would divide (Joshua 3:12-13). Jon Courson points out that "forty years previously when the children of Israel crossed the Red Sea, the water parted before they stepped in. But not this time. When it comes to issues of the Spirit, we're to step in by faith. But what if hands are laid upon me and I seek the Lord's power aggressively, yet nothing happens? I'll feel like a big drip, " we say. So we stay on the bank where it's safe and dry - real dry, dusty dry, wilderness dry. Why doesn't God part the water first? I'm convinced it's because the language of eternity is faith. God uses every opportunity to teach us to see and hear with the eyes and ears of faith. "Step out. Step in. Step up in faith," He says. "And watch and see what I'll do."

So the priests stepped in and "...the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho." Joshua 3:15b-16. For the waters to part at the exact time and point where the Israelites were crossing, God stopped the flow 19 miles upstream! Joshua and the people obviously couldn't see that far. God was working beyond their sight. In fact, He had already been working before their feet touched the water, they just couldn't see it until they stepped in. This is what it means to "walk by faith" - listening to God and stepping out in confidence that He is already at work. When the priests stepped in they "stood firm" until all three million people had crossed over. They stood until the work was completed, on behalf of themselves and the rest of the people.

Jon Courson shares the story of D.L. Moody...
"Evangelist D.L. Moody locked himself in a hotel room in New York City for three and a half days, saying, "I'm not coming out until I know the power of the Spirit has come upon me." On the fourth day, God overwhelmed and overpowered Him to such a degree that he knew without a doubt that he was empowered to do the work God had called him to do."

As he reads the book of Joshua, Courson says, "Lord, I don't want to miss out on anything You have ordained for me." Has there been a moment, a time when you stepped in and stood firm until you knew the Holy Spirit had come upon you? If you're not sure, don't miss chapter 4."