Tag, you’re it! Joshua turned from the surging of the Jordan river, overflowing its banks that day, and faced the crowd of millions of Israelites, all looking at him in anxious expectation. “What now?” they seemed to say, in unison.
They had come so far, and been through so much, since, after a shock-and-awe show of force by God, Pharaoh had finally released them from generations of slavery. Moses had led them out, and led them through the desert, through miracles and tragedies, mountains and valleys, until, at last, here they all stood, literally on the brink of entering the promised land. Moses was gone, and now Joshua stood in his place, once again, on the edge of a river--a barrier between where they stood and where they belonged. Yet, today, the river seemed even more imPASSible and impossible than the Red Sea crossing that began their journey. This time, there were no soldiers in hot pursuit. There was no Pharoah waiting to drag them back into slavery. Their enemies were left so far behind they were almost as forgotten as the string of miracles that brought them through. But this time, the river was flooded.
Threatening whitewater tumbled fiercely over the rocky edges, while a powerfully swelling deep center defied anyone or anything that would dare to stand its ground against the sweeping force. It was SO deep. And SO wide.
How would they ever get across? Joshua knew he was in over his head. This was not a challenge to be unraveled by analysis, circumvented with strategy, or subdued by brute force. This was going to take more than all of Joshua’s years of education, training, study and mentoring to overcome.
With all of this, he was insufficient. This task was going to require the very hand of God. Following God’s instructions, Joshua instructed the priests to step in first, carrying the Ark of the Covenant. Perhaps they expected—or feared—their feet to be swept out from underneath them, but they stepped in, and the moment they did, the raging river stopped dead, and a dry path cleared through it. The bewildered millions walked across, wide-eyed and misty-eyed, in shuffling awe and hurried wonder, until every man, woman, child and beast had safely ascended the shore on the other side.
When the priests had made their ascent, too, and the Ark of the Covenant was on the banks, the invisible floodgates burst open, crashing over the dusty path. The river quickly resumed its fierce flow, taking back its authority from shore to shore, and continuing on as if it had never been interrupted.
Perhaps the barrier you’re up against is not as tangible as a flooded river, but it is no less tameable in God’s hands. Think of this: they not only crossed a river, they crossed a flooded river. It was over its banks. It was bigger and stronger than ever. It was the proverbial “worst case scenario.” THAT’s the scenario God chose. And he chose Joshua to lead them all across—a fairly young man who had some pretty big shoes to fill when Moses stepped out of this world. Many of Joshua’s followers probably still saw him as the underling, the apprentice, the mascot, even—just second best. They thought he was in over his head, too, but even if they had forgotten how big God was, Joshua had not.
If you’re feeling like “Just Joshua” standing on that river bank, instead of backing down, dare to trust God and step in! That worst case scenario is the best case scenario for God to prove who he is. If you’re feeling like it’s too much for you, you’re right. If you’re realizing that you’re in over your head, you’re right about that, too. But BOTH of those factors add up to a perfect time for God to do something that will absolutely amaze you. Don’t be afraid to step in, if He’s telling you to step in. Put your trust in him, and sink your feet into the deep, surging waters. He’s got this!
The fact is, God always, always chooses to use the underqualified to be a part of a huge victory, because NOTHING can bridge the gap to achieve his divine purpose like his own power, mercy and glory. We are 1% of the story; we just have to trust him to BE that other 99%! Through it all, it’s in the “impossible” challenges that he chooses to show us that, to him, anything is possible.
“When I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.” —Psalm 56:3
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