Day 1 of 6 — Pioneering Faith. About 3 minutes.
And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.
Joshua 3:3-4
There is a big difference between driving a road you know and driving one you have never traveled before. On a familiar road, you barely think about the turns. You recognize the landmarks, know which lane to be in, and know what is coming around the next corner. But take away the familiarity and suddenly every intersection matters. Israel stood in that kind of place in Joshua 3. Forty years of wandering were behind them, the Promised Land was ahead, and God told them plainly, ye have not passed this way heretofore.
They did not know exactly how the Jordan would open. They did not know what Jericho would be like. They did not know every battle waiting for them in Canaan. God did not give them a map of the next ten years. He gave them direction for the next step. Watch the ark. When it moves, follow it.
We usually want more than that. We want to know where this decision will lead, how much it will cost, how long it will take, and whether everything will work out the way we hope. Sometimes we delay something God has made clear because He has not answered questions He never promised to answer yet.
But faith does not require knowing the entire road. Faith requires trusting the One who does.
You may be facing something this week you have never faced before. A new responsibility. A family situation. A ministry opportunity. A difficult conversation. You can honestly say, I have never been here before. That is not a reason to stop. Stay close to God’s Word, seek Him in prayer, and obey the part He has already made clear.
You have not passed this way before.
But God has.
Growth principle: You do not need to know the whole road when you know the One who is leading you.
Take it with you: Identify the next thing God has already made clear, and concentrate on obeying that today instead of trying to solve everything ahead.
Pause and pray: Lord, I do not know everything that is ahead of me, but You do. Help me stop demanding answers to every question before I obey. Keep my eyes on You, and give me faith to take the next step You have made clear. Amen.
From Sunday’s message: Faith That Steps Into the Water (Joshua 3-4)
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