Words of Encouragement

Can you image if you needed to get across this body of water. Can you step into the edge of the water and believe it will open to you? What if this is what those of Joshua's time thought? Yet, God did promise to separate the water and he did. It reminds us to trust even those things that seem impossible to happen, if God says he will do it, he will.


So Joshua called together the twelve men he had appointed from the Israelites, one from each tribe, and said to them, "Go over before the ark of the LORD your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you. - Joshua 4:4-6



Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Command the priests carrying the ark of the Testimony to come up out of the Jordan." So Joshua commanded the priests, "Come up out of the Jordan." And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before. - Joshua 4:15-18

Come and Go. Following God, brings about the miracles. God gave instruction to Joshua for the people to cross over the Jordan. God has opened the Jordan so that the people can walk over on dry ground. In the midst of their crossing, God requires that appointed men go before and pick up a stone to use as a marking on the other side.



The priest then are told to come up out of the Jordan because the people have crossed over. When they come up out of the Jordan, it goes back to its original state.



What does this "coming and going" telling us? God wants to work some miracles in the lives of his people and he is requiring his children to play a part in the miracles. God has called some appointed people to go and gather something that will remind others of the miracles they have experienced. There are times when those coming behind will need to be reminded of the great things God can do. He is calling some to bring a testimony to the next generation that were not present when God worked some situations out in our lives. You and I are called to give a testimony of what God has done for us to the next generation. When someone sees the "marking" and they ask, what does this mean, we can tell them about what God has done.



Then there are some that God has used to stand in the midst to hold back the floods for others to cross over on dry ground. Those that have come into the midst to intercede for others after they have done what God has asked, will be called out of the midst.



Today, we are called to come and go as God desires so that we can give testimony to others of God's goodness as well as to be positioned to intercede for others.



I pray for us today that God would continue to use us as he desires so that we can help others out of the floods that would drown them. Lord help us to continually hear you calling us to come to your purpose and to go do as you say.