Step Out in Faith

Today’s Through the Bible Reading: Joshua 3-6

Abbreviated Reading: Joshua 3

Have you ever felt like God was calling you to step out into what seemed to be a deadly deluge? That’s exactly what He was calling Israel to do in today’s Bible reading.

Israel was camped across from Jericho and next to the Jordan River. Joshua 3:15 tells us that the river was at flood stage, which annually caused its banks to flood more than a mile wide. Furthermore, the Jordan is an extremely steep river, descending rapidly into the Dead Sea, this causes treacherous conditions.

BUT GOD told Joshua to have the Priests step into the torrent and watch as He, “the Lord of all the earth,” cuts off the waters and “stands them up in a heap.” (Joshua 3:13) You see, God can do that because He IS the Lord of all the earth. He is the Creator and is mightier than the rushing of many mighty waters.

The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. Psalm 93:4

While the priests stepped into the waters in faith, God in faithfulness completely stopped the river. He heaped the waters and Israel walked across and “stood firm on dry ground.” (Josh 3:17)

There is an amazing treasure of truth buried in this passage. Check this out, the waters did not pile high where Israel could see them. Joshua 3:16 tells us that they “piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam.” Commentaries seem to agree that the city of Adam was approximately 19 miles upstream. This means, even though Israel could not see the waters stopping or piling high – they were! God was keeping His promise. He was working miracles out of sight and on their behalf.

Be encouraged dear friends, if you don’t see God working out the promises He has given you, it’s not because He isn't. They are just happening out of view. Know that God is faithful, He can’t lie, and He does all that He promises! He is good and mighty.

We can be confident that when we obey and step out in faith, God is at work, on our behalf, holding back the waters, even if it's out of sight, 19 miles upstream.

Dig into His Word today and discover His promises and see His faithfulness.