Faith and a Raging River

Would you try to cross a river overrunning its banks?  Perhaps you have seen a flash flood.  The water suddenly comes roaring down from the hills in the wake of a thunderstorm.  The riverbed fills and overflows.  The water rushes quickly and violently. Boulders, uprooted trees, and other debris pose a danger to anything in the water.

In Joshua Chapter 3 in the Old Testament in the Bible, God told the priests and the people to do that very thing. The raging river Jordan was in flood stage and dangerously flowed over the banks. 

He told the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant in front of the crowd of wandering Israelites. He told them to stand in the river. 

 It took a lot of courage to stand in a river when common sense told them they should wait for a better day when the water was calm and the wind barely moving, but they obeyed God's commandment.  As soon as their feet touched the water, an amazing thing happened.

The water coming downstream piled up in a heap.  The land dried instantly. The priests with the Ark and all of the Israelites passed through. The waters then started flowing again.

Everybody knows that you can't suddenly stop water from coming down stream.  It would take a long time for dry land to appear normally, but God did it instantly, and can do it again.

The priests and the people showed faith by willingly stepping into a raging river.  God took care of them.

God did the impossible when he parted the Red Sea, healed the blind and lame, and performed miracle after miracle.  He can do things in your life that no one else could achieve when you have faith and obey His voice. What raging river in your life do you need to cross?

Image of Jordan River Sign

Credit Jean Housen

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