“If you feel besieged by life today, lean on the God of peace – the God of hope and the future. The same God who has a plan for Israel has a plan for you. Trust that He will direct your path.”
David Jeremiah

The Lord Will Do Wonders for You

And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” Then Joshua spoke to the priests, saying, “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over before the people.” So they took up the ark of the covenant and went before the people.

Joshua 3:5-6

The people of Israel were now under a new leader, Joshua, and it was time for them to cross the river Jordan even though it was the season when all its banks were overflowing.

The Lord asked Joshua to follow a few clear instructions. Firstly, the ark of the covenant had to be carried in front of the people of Israel, signifying the fact that God was going ahead of them. Secondly, they were asked to sanctify themselves before the day of crossing. Thirdly, they were asked to stand still in order to see the power of God. Most importantly, the Levites carrying the ark needed faith to step into the water despite the banks being flooded.

The ark of the covenant and its contents all have important significance. The two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments represent our need for obedience while the mercy seat represents His immense grace. Aaron’s rod indicates the past favours of God and the manna represents His provision.

Overall, the ark of God pointed to the fact that the people of Israel, as they set out to cross the river Jordan, should not depend on their own strength but on God’s, for it was God Himself who was going before them as their source of victory.

It is always a great challenge when our situations are at a flooding stage. It can cause us to live by sight, attempting to deal with the situation with our own strength and wisdom. As the ark of the covenant was with the Israelites, so the Spirit of God is with us and is able to fully lead and guide us through the floods.

When we stand still and exercise faith, the hand of God will cause the flooded waters to stop, giving us dry ground to walk to the other side.