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.

Following Jesus Every Day,

Stephen Trammell

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67 replies on “Never Been This Way”

Stephen what a wonderful devotion. I needed to hear this. Thank you.

Good word, Dr. Trammell. I admit to being envious at times of how God provided very specific instructions so often in the Old Testament. Obeying and waiting on the Lord most days is easy, though there are times…hard times, when it’s difficult to discern His direction. For instance, my niece, Emma, a premed senior at LC (on the Dean’s List every semester) and she could not make the score required for med school. We are praying so faithfully as she discerns God’s plan for her. She desperately wants to follow His way. Her sister firmly knew her senior year in high school that God was calling her to be a pediatrician in the mission field, and God clearly marked her path for her. If you have a moment, please pray with us, that God will soon open doors for Emma, to wherever He wants her to follow. It isn’t a coincidence that the Lord provided this message through you this day. Thank you.

What is required of us is obedience, then God will show himself to be a faithful Father.

Your message was inspirational since I’m ‘sedintary’ while my femur heals. After 6 months, the my bones did not heal enough and hardware broke. So new surgery was done and back to waiting.
During Ps. 23 ,’Be still and know I am God’; rest was very hard for me.
I am a people person that enjoys mission work or anything to be done for others.
I’ve had to become the recipient of others loving on us during my ‘home-bound’ healing.
What has God shown me during these 9 months?
•Be patient
•Receive help from others
•Rest in His Word & love
•Write plenty thank you notes
•Be satisfied with ZOOM church and Life Groups
•God KNOWS where we have been and where we will go.
There will be plenty of time to be DOERS of the Word. Glory to God and my wonderful, supportive husband, family, and Christians who have taken the time to show love of service to Him and others.
Sincerely saved,
Rhonda Wacom Michalski