Toe to Water

“And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet…who bear the ark of the LORD… shall rest in the waters…the waters shall be cut off…and shall stand as a heap.” Joshua 3:13

If I close my eyes and call to mind an image from 26 years ago, I still find myself entertained. Our youngest daughter Caroline was 3 years old and we on our family vacation. She was intrigued with watching Kristen and Michael splash about in the water. She longed to be there with them but was frightened of the roar of the crashing waves. As I sat in my chair a few yards away I watched her numerous times creep up to the shoreline trying to muster up her courage. As soon as the waves broke and the water came rushing towards her feet, she took off running staying a few small steps ahead of the water. The seagulls scattered into the air at her sudden movements, flapping their wings and screeching. Her sandy feet never got wet and her courage crashed just like the waves. She never did put toe to water on that trip missing out on the fellowship with her siblings of enjoying the ocean.

I thought of this story today when meditating on the story of Joshua. At the time of the crossing of the Jordan, the Israelite's were under the old covenant. The presence of God resided above the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. We as believers now live under the New Covenant wherein, we are the ones who carry the presence of God in our hearts. We will be called to the shoreline at some point in our lives to cross over into a new season. We will need the courage to put toe to water when we find ourselves in a tough set of circumstances. We will need courage to place the soles of our feet onto the floor each morning even when we don’t like our story. We cannot keep running from the crashing waves, but we must trust that just as the Ark lead the Israelite's through the flooding Jordan, God will lead us through our floods. And thankfully we dip our toe into the cold water with the promise of Exodus 1:3 wrapped around us like a life jacket. ‘Every place on which the sole of your feet treads, I will give you.’

So, will we be like a three-year-old and run away from the approaching waters? Or will we have the courage to face the rushing waters with the confidence of God's presence and power that dwells within us? Blessings lie on the other side of our adversities, and only when we put toe to water will the Lord be on the move with the beautiful plans that He has for each of us.