Just Step Out

Sometimes we wait for God to act before we do; but this isn't always the way God works!

I listened today to a message where a guy called Ray Vander Laan explained social, geographical and historical background to passages in the Bible in a Focus on the Family series called 'That the World May Know'. He explained that because of the nature of the Jordan River, once you step in, you're in, possibly over your head!

He brought out an important point that I want to share with you today: if the priests of Joshua's time had said, "I'll wait here till God parts the water, then I'll step in," they would have never entered their Promised Land. The Bible says in Joshua 3:15:

"as those wo bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole of harvest), that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city beside Zarephath.
So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho."

God acted as He said He would when they stepped into the river, not before. It requires faith and total commitment - but that's exactly what God responds to. Just as in Daniel's day when Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were willing to go all the way into the furnace because they refused to compromise on their obedience to God, God stepped in when the situation had gone to the stage where they would have been impossible to rescue (see my post From the Fire to see more on this).

Let's not be afraid to give God our total commitment when He calls you to do something: just step out in faith and obedience; He's waiting to show Himself strong to you. Step in and watch Him work on your behalf!

image sourced from http://trainingwithmatt.com/archives/908