Day 2 of 6 — Pioneering Faith. About 3 minutes.
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 3:4
Try driving into the morning sun with a dirty windshield. The road has not disappeared. The signs have not moved. Your destination is still exactly where it was. But every streak on the glass suddenly catches the light, and something that normally would not bother you begins making it difficult to see where you are going. Sometimes the problem is not the road in front of us. It is everything that has accumulated between us and a clear view.
God gave Israel an unusual instruction before they crossed the Jordan. There was to be a large space between the people and the ark of the covenant. With an entire nation moving together, God did not want the ark buried in the crowd. The verse tells us why: that ye may know the way by which ye must go. They needed to keep the way clear because they needed to see where God was leading.
Life has a way of becoming cluttered too. Our schedules fill up. Our minds fill up. Our phones fill up. Work, entertainment, responsibilities, problems, opinions, and even perfectly good things begin competing for the same attention. God has not moved, but our view of Him can become crowded.
There are times when the answer is not adding one more thing to our lives. We need to clear some space. Put something down. Turn something off. Quiet another voice. Open the Bible without simultaneously checking the phone. Pray long enough to stop rushing through the conversation.
The more unfamiliar the road becomes, the more important it is that God’s Word remain clearly in view. We do not need less Bible when life becomes uncertain. We need more. We do not need less prayer. We need more.
Before asking God to show you farther down the road, make sure nothing has crowded out what He has already put directly in front of you.
Growth principle: A crowded life can make God’s clear direction harder to see.
Take it with you: Remove one unnecessary distraction today and deliberately use that space to read God’s Word or pray.
Pause and pray: Lord, life becomes crowded so easily. Show me anything that is taking the attention that should belong to You. Help me clear away distractions and keep Your Word in front of me as You lead. Amen.
From Sunday’s message: Faith That Steps Into the Water (Joshua 3-4)
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