”And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the LORD of all earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above, and they shall stand upon an heap.” (Joshua 3:13)
The man looked nervously down at the raging torrent below him, trying to steel his nerves before he and the others made their way down the slick stones into that muddy swirl of water, the River Jordan. A few days ago, Joshua had asked them to make the Ark ready and that they were to carry it into the river. Now all of Israel was watching as they picked their way down the embankment, the Ark of the Covenant hoisted upon their shoulders. One priest would step and make sure his footing was secure, then motion to the man next to him to take his next step.
Gingerly they made their way down the muddy bank until finally, they stood at the water’s edge, the next step would be the first step across the last obstacle that was preventing them from entering the Promise Land. Reaffirming his grip was sure on the pole upon which the Ark rest, the man lifted his foot and stepped into the water. The pull of the water threatened to loosen his footing upon the rock he chose to step, but as the full weight of priest and ark settled, the water suddenly lost speed. The force that was pushing the flooded, muddy, raging water quieted as the priests made their way across the river. Before he knew it, they had made it to the middle of the Jordan, and miraculously it was dry ground. The rocks weren’t even slippery with moss, and the priest watched with tears flowing as the people began to make their way across.
Their first few steps were unsteady and unsure, but readily became more confident and the pace quickened. Soon they were clambering over rocks and once submerged trees, the people soon passed the priests by and one by one made it to the opposite bank, the bank of which they had been dreaming for oh so long. Hours passed, and finally the last few were making their way up the bank of the river. Twelve men stepped back into the dry river bed and collected up a rock for each man to be deposited in the camp that night to become a memorial for the provision of the LORD. Joshua himself returned to where the priests and Ark stood and gathered twelve stones and stacked them up at their feet.
Finally, the leader of the Children of Israel looked to the east bank from which they had come and looked up thankfully into the heavens. Joshua then made his way back onto the Promised soil, the priests weary from standing for so many hours followed behind. As the last priest cleared the high water line of bank, a roaring could be heard as the waters rushed forward once again.
The journey that began with the step of Moses leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt those many years ago was now complete. They now stood in land promised to be flowing with milk and honey. Many wept, rejoicing over the completion of such an arduous journey, some reflecting on those who were no longer with them. They had left Egypt as children, then due to the disbelief of their elders, were forced to wander the wilderness and watch as those who refused to secure their inheritance aged and died.
Looking back across the river, the Levite looked at the tribe of Reuben, Gad, and one half of the tribe of Manasseh standing on the opposite bank. They had chosen the grazing fields of the west over the fertile fields of the east, the land God had given them for an inheritance. Now, for the first time, the people were a divided people, a river physically dividing the tribes, and a mindset of trusting in herds of cattle over the promises of God dividing them spiritually. What would become of them? How would they maintain the separate lifestyle God had called them to if they did not live in a close proximity to their brethren?
The priest turned and with the rest began their procession, the army following, heading towards the city Joshua had directed them to, Jericho.
My brothers and my sisters, this is the day, this is the hour to step into water, and into what God has promised His people. We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a peculiar people, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Now is the time, we must be ready and willing to step into the unknown, into the swirling raging river of uncertainty holding solely unto God. With His presence among us, we cannot fail, we will not falter, with a sure step, we must move out of the comfort of the known and into what He has given us. We only need to take a step to start the journey.
The water may threaten to overwhelm you, but keep stepping, God will see you through, and you will find yourself on dry ground, of a sure footing in what was once a raging river of impossibility. The generations past each faced a river in their life, we see the stones, we’ve heard the stories of how God made straight their paths and through His Word He lighted the way. Now, it’s our turn, we must be ready to step into our river full of faith and assurance that He will carry us through onto greater things. Greater things are there for the taken, it may be on the enemy’s soil but if God is for us who can be against us? The fields are white with harvest, revival simmers ready to boil over, we only need to step into the water.
Will you go? When He sounds the call for His Children to step into their inheritance, will you be among them that go over to the other side? Or will you be standing on familiar ground, having settled for the known, settled for the ordinary instead of extraordinary? Will the potential wealth of the western grazing fields keep you from establishing your part of the Kingdom in the fertile valleys of the east?
Ten of the twelve tribes of Israel vanished, swallowed up by the nations that came against the Hebrews. Among the first to disappear from the pages of history were those who decided not to cross the Jordan. Reuben, the firstborn and thusly should have been the prominent and authoritative tribe among the brethren, was the first. Exposed on the southern and western border from Moab, Ammon, and Assyria by the time of King Ahab Reuben was unrecognizable as its own tribe. What was once a formidable fighting force as they led the vanguard during the conquest of Canaan now sent constant calls for aid to the east. Partially assimilated by the neighboring Kingdoms and absorbed by the other tribes, it slips into the annals of history as a warning of the consequences of settling outside the boundaries of what God has ordained.
In the song of Deborah, in which tells of those who fought against the Canaanite King Jabin, there are some tribes missing, notably, western Manasseh, Gad, and Reuben. They had decided not to support their fellow tribes in the fighting, choosing instead to stay with the flocks grazing in the hills. Missing from the roster of notable people found in the Word of God are any people from these tribes. By the time of the exile of the ten northern tribes that constituted the Kingdom of Israel, very little remained from the tribes that had selected not to enter the Promised Land.
Can I tell you today, as a warning, that living outside the Will of God, deciding not to fight to be distinct, separate, you will look around and find yourself unrecognizable as you once were? Slowly, the world erodes that separation, the peculiarity, until you are nothing more than average, telling stories of yesteryear, days of glory and power that now elude you.
Those hills may look enticing, it may hold a whisper of promise, of prosperity, but the borders are open to the enemy, to attack. And the fight to claim what God has ordained for your life may seem daunting, it may take some hard fighting, close, desperate, and deadly fighting to cut away the untoward things from the land of Promise. But God has already given the victory, you just need to be willing to take it, to step into the water. Settling for less the then full partaking of the Promises of God is empty unfulfilling half-hearted hoping. The wealth that may be in those grazing hills of ease will be oft dotted with enemy soldiers, attacking from every side until you are taken in bondage. You will find yourself, your children, your heritage taken away into the enemy’s land, assimilated into a culture that God has called you to be separate from.
Be of good hope, my brother, and sister in Christ, for Jesus is more than willing, more than able to break the chains of bondage. You can find yourself once again at the riverbank, one step away from victory, one step into the things the Lord God has given you. Step into the water, it will not overtake you, you will not drown, He has you in His hand, He has a plan for your life. Go across the river and join the rest of His children, join the fight against the enemy to gain the Promises of God. For you, will not fight alone, your brothers and sisters will fight beside you, He will fight for you, and you will know Peace in the end.
Refuse to settle for the average and step into the water, step across into the extraordinary things of God. Step into victory, step into church growth, miracles, signs, and wonders. Step into Holy Ghost filled congregations fighting together in common cause, full of the Power and Authority of Jesus Christ. It’s time to step into the water.