Never Been This Way

“At the end of three days the officers went through the camp and commanded the people, ‘As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.’” Joshua 3:2-4 (ESV)

You have never been where you are going. Life is a journey, not a destination. As a result, the scenery changes and the terrain vacillates. Sometimes the way is crystal clear and the path is marked with confirmation. At other times, fog sets in and skews the view.

Joshua was preparing to lead the Israelites to cross the Jordan. He gave the officers clear instructions to communicate to the people. They had never been where they were going. Uncertainty permeated the landscape. Joshua knew that they would need divine intervention in order to remain in the center of God’s will. How would they know which way to go since they had never been this way before? They were instructed to simply move from their positions and to follow the ark of the covenant.

Henry Blackaby says, “You cannot stay where you are and go with God.” The Israelites had to leave their comfort zone and move out from that which was familiar in order to go with God. Crossing the Jordan required faith and obedience. They had to place their faith in God’s provision. The ark of the covenant represented the presence of God. Following the ark of the covenant was synonymous with following God.

Will you trust God to show you the next step that He wants you to take? Will you obey what God’s reveals to you? Obeying God is always the best way.

Drawing Near,

Stephen Trammell
Lead Pastor
Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell