For Abraham, it was leaving Haran to go where God was calling him, without knowing where he was going. For Peter, it was stepping out of the boat before he could know whether the water would hold him. And for you, what does this step of faith look like?
“So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. ”
Matthew 14:29 (NKJV)
The people of Israel had spent 40 years in the wilderness walking with the lord on a journey of learning, pruning and trusting, and they were finally closer to the promised land than ever before.
All the years spent in the wilderness were to prepare them for this moment of possession. But before they could possess the land that God had given them, they had one more obstacle before them: the River Jordan. They needed to cross this river that seemed insurmountable. But how were they to cross it with no boats or ships?
This wasn’t their first rodeo; God, through Moses, had led them across the Red Sea 40 years earlier following their departure from Egypt. At the Red Sea, God told Moses to lift his rod and stretch his hand over the river to divide it, so the river parted. Then they walked on dry land through the river till they got to the other side. (Exodus 14:16). Here, they saw the miracle before they took a leap.
But in Joshua 3:13, at the edge of the River Jordan, God was asking for something different. God wasn’t going to move the waters before they set foot in it.
Joshua 3:13-17
New King James Version
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.
God's instruction was clear: that the priests carrying the ark of covenant were to step into this mighty body of water, and only when their feet rested in the waters of the Jordan would the waters give way for Israel to walk on dry ground.
Joshua 3:13-17
New King James Version
14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as those who 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 time of harvest),
16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. 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.
17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.
It wasn’t until the priests who carried the ark of God set their feet in the river that the river stopped. The transition from the wilderness to the promised land required a step of faith that had to be taken before the evidence appeared.
Hebrews 11:8
New King James Version
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going
Abraham by faith left his father’s house and all he knew in obedience to God to where God was calling him. He did not know where he was going, but he took that step of faith, and as he went, God directed him.
For Abraham, it was leaving Haran to where God was calling him without knowing where he was going. For Peter, it was stepping out of the boat before he could know whether the water would hold him (Matthew 14:29). And for you, what does this step of faith look like?
Over 40 days, you fasted and waited on God; you were built up, you received instructions and promptings from God; all of these lead up to a moment where you would finally take a step of faith in the direction God has prompted you to. The 40 days were not in vain; now is the time to act on what you received, even before circumstances say it is safe to do so. God is waiting on you to take that bold step, calling you forth to step into the river. Like Jesus was waiting on the water, calling to Peter, God is waiting on your feet to rest in the water before the river parts, before the miracle happens
You don’t have to wait for the miracle or proof to take that step of faith; now is the time to move because the step always precedes the proof. The conditions do not have to be right; you don’t have to have it all figured out. One thing is needed: that you move at the instruction of God.
What is the step you have been waiting to take when the conditions seem right? What steps of faith do you need to take to make it happen? What would it look like to take that step today?
Prayer
Thank you, Lord, for leading me through the wilderness, and for every instruction and all you have built in me. I take a step of faith with courage; I do not hesitate. In my Jordan moment, I do not hesitate; I do not fear, because God is with me.
