Step Into the Unknown

Joshua 4:2-3 "Take for yourselves twelve men from the people, one man from every tribe, and command them, saying, 'Take for yourselves twelve stones from here, out of the midst of the Jordan, from the place where the priests' feet stood firm. You shall carry them over with you and leave them in the lodging place where you lodge tonight.' "

In Chapter 3, we see Israel approaching the Jordan River on their way to Jericho. In verse 13, Joshua said, “And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."

Now we need to realise that this was in the time of the harvest, and the Jordan River had overflowed its banks. In other words, it was flooded.

The fact that Joshua ordered the men to collect 12 rocks from the Jordan (rocks large enough to be used to build an altar to the Lord) means that the priests were only stepping into the Jordan River whilst it was in flood stage, they were also stepping into something that was likely to have a rocky and uneven surface for them to walk on as they carried the ark of God across, and if you've ever tried climbing across the rocks at the beach when the waves are crashing around you, you know how difficult this can be.

They had to have complete trust in God. They had to trust that He would stop the water when they stepped in (as He said he would), and they also had to trust that He would keep their footing sure as they stepped into the unknown.

Has God asked you to step out into the unknown? Is it uncomfortable? Are you unsure? God would never ask you to step into the unknown, if He did not plan to be right there with you, holding back the waters, and keeping your feet sure. When God has spoken, you can be sure that He knows the beginning from the end, as well as every other step along the way. Just keep in step with Him. Everything will be okay.

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