Stepping Into the Flood

“Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you…’ So it was, when the people set out…to cross over…the waters which came down from upstream stood still and rose in a heap…and were cut off; and the people crossed over…on dry ground.” Joshua 3:11-17

The event our passage describes today happened thousands of years ago. It is a beautiful story of the people of God determined to take Him at His word. It was a literal journey from their past lives of bondage in Egypt to their future lives of freedom in Canaan referred to as the Promised Land. But the most beautiful fruit of this story is the fact that it can be my story and your story as well. Behind the journey were people who had to make individual decisions. Would they stay in their territory of their past or trust that God was leading them into the territory of their future? It took guts to leave behind what they knew, even if it wasn’t good. It took blind belief to trust God for something not yet visible in their lives. It took keeping their eyes on the Lord as they walked away from their yesterday and towards their tomorrow.

Does any of this sound familiar? Do we really believe that God still ‘cuts off the water’ so we can pass through the flood? Are we walking in confidence towards His new beginning for us or stuck in the mud and mire of our old circumstances? Heather Dixon, author of Determined writes, ‘One side of the river held their past. The other side held their future. Stepping into the flood held the declaration of their faith. The characters change, but the story remains virtually the same. When we declare our faith in Jesus, He will lead us to abundant life. But to embrace our future with Christ, we must be willing to let Him heal our past.’ P.113. God has a promised land for each of us, but we must go and take hold of it by taking hold of Christ.

From Genesis to Revelation ink abundantly flows describing beautiful stories of do-overs and start overs. Each morning the sun appears on a new canvas inviting us to paint our own second chances and fresh beginnings. God’s word promises, ‘If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!’ 2 Co 5:17. Whatever old you are dragging across the river release it and take hold of what God has for you in this new season.