Standing in the River

If it seems like there has been a bit of space between my blogs these days, it's because there has been.  I blame it on my sister visiting from Texas.  It's like we're trying to cram all of this stuff into a short amount of time because we rarely get to spend time together, so who has time for writing?  :)  They are leaving tomorrow, so I suppose life will resume to "normal".  But we have had so much fun while they have been home.

ANYWAY...

Today I wanted to share a word from Joshua 3.  I was reminded of this passage yesterday as I was pondering an argument that Jason and I had that morning.  To get on a personal level, we both struggle with harboring resentment and grudges towards the other when we feel we've been wronged.  He shared with me yesterday that He had prayed about letting go of his anger and being able to forgive me, but that he wasn't able to actually do it until we were working out the issue and we prayed together.  So what does that have to do with Joshua?

In the passage mentioned, God gave Joshua very specific instructions about how he was to get into the Promised Land.  He told the people to cross the Jordan River, but not to move until they saw the Ark of the Covenant on the move.  But for the priests who were bearing the Ark, this command was given:  "When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan....the waters of the Jordan will be cut off and.....will stand in one heap."

You see?  God promised them a way to get across the Jordan River, but they had to first stand still in the water before God did the miracle.  This applied to us in a practical way, because to me, forgiveness is a miracle of the heart.  I firmly believe that God will help us, but sometimes we must take that first step to show that we are willing to put ourselves aside.  I don't believe it's because God won't help us when we are "stuck", because sometimes He miraculously pulls us out of the pit when we are weak.  But rather it's to reveal our motives and willingness to obey.  It's not always the physical action that God looks at; it's the attitude of the heart (which usually brings about action).  What do you think?  This is really food for thought.  I don't have it all figured out, I just like to take stuff like this and chew on it for a while.  I encourage you to read Joshua 3 and think about what it means in light of Christ in your life.  I would love to hear what you think!