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March 6, 2009
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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================
Step into the Water, by Russ Lawson
There is an old gospel hymn, sung by the Cathedrals, that goes like
this: "Step into the water, wade out a little bit deeper. Wet your feet
in the water of his love." This is a very interesting song if you think
about it in the context of Scripture. I'm not sure where the writer of
the hymn received his inspiration, but the memory of the song came to
me as I was reading from the book of Joshua (Joshua 3:1-17) this past
week.
After forty years of wandering through the wilderness in pursuit of
God's promise for a better life, God's people finally are going to get
to cross into the Promised Land. God gives Joshua directions explaining
what was going to happen. They were to cross the Jordan river during
its flood stage and enter the land of Canaan.
Now you might think this is not a whole lot different from when the
Israelites passed through the Red Sea, but it is. When Moses parted the
Red Sea, the winds blew all night and there was a path through the sea.
In this case, God's leaders had to physically step into the water
before the water stopped flowing. Notice what the scripture says:
So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests
carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. Now the Jordan
is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests
who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the
water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up
in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the
vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of
the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people
crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of
the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of
the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had
completed the crossing on dry ground (Joshua 3:14-17 NIV).
This time God called upon them to literally make a "step of faith"
before he would deliver them. He wanted them to display their trust.
When the soles of the sandals on the feet of the priest touched the
water, the water stopped flowing and backed up for approximately
seventeen miles upstream. Notice also that the river bed was instantly
dry. God worked, but he demanded that the people take a step of faith
before they experienced this mighty work in their lives.
I wonder how many times God doesn't answer our prayers or doesn't cause
or allow something to happen in our lives because he is simply waiting
for us to take the first step of faith?
What is it that you dream of doing or being for God?
What great plan do you have for God or for your life?
What are you waiting for?
Are you waiting for the right time to step out, for the perfect
conditions to act?
God's great writer and preacher of wisdom warned, "He that observeth
the wind shall not sow; and he that regardeth the clouds shall not
reap" (Ecclesiastes 11:4 KJV). I love the way this message is
translated in a newer translation: "If you wait for perfect conditions,
you will never get anything done" (NLT).
What are you waiting for?
What is holding you back?
Isn't it time to "Step into the water, wade out a little bit deeper.
Wet your feet in the water of his love."
---------
(c) 2009 Russ Lawson <rlawson@wclo.net>, Messages from the Heart
<http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html>. All rights reserved.
RELATED LINKS:
* Leaders Create Culture
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200701/20070104_createculture.html
* Reaching the Promised Land
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200006/20000613_diary26.html
* Jericho
http://www.heartlight.org/feature/feature_970709_jericho.html
* Messages from the Heart
http://www.mfth.net/aboutus.html
This article can be found on the web at:
http://www.heartlight.org/articles/200903/20090306_stepintowater.html
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