By His Leading

God calls His people to exercise faith in Him. In order to enter the Promised Land, God directs Joshua to lead the Israelites through the Jordan River. During this time, the already tumultuous river is overflowing, making it even more difficult and dangerous for thousands of people to cross with their possessions and livestock. But when Israel’s priests step into the water, the river subsides and dries up, allowing the people to cross a completely dry riverbed. Just as God brings His people out of bondage with a miracle at the Red Sea, He also brings them into the Promised Land through another miraculous crossing.

But in this miracle, God first requires from the people an act of faith and trust in Him. It is not until the priests first step into the overflowing river that they see God work. The people experience this miracle as a result of exercising their faith in the Great Miracle Worker. Whenever God invites us to put our faith in Him, He meets us with the assurance that He is faithful and blesses us with a testimony to proclaim to others. Israel’s faith placed in God is what causes them to step into an otherwise dangerous obstacle, a way that would have surely lead to death if it were not by God’s leading. Because the True and Living God leads them this way, He also paves the Way of life for them. He requires only that Israel trust in His leading. The same is true for us: there is no way of life but by the LORD’s leading. A life lived in faith in the Eternal God leads us to places only He can take us. Our trust placed in God brings us to blessings we can only experience with Him.