The Edge of Your Miracle: Trusting God at the Riverbank

Joshua 3:14-16 NLT

[14] So the people left their camp to cross the Jordan, and the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them. [15] It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river's edge, [16] the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho.

What is your edge?

Joshua was preparing the people to cross into the promised land, something they had only dreamed of. Finally, the promise of God was about to come to a place of completion.

It is so easy to dream about how everything will be when the Lord finally keeps his promises in your life, but are you prepared to do what it takes to enter the promised land? Entering always requires a step of obedience. You have to move in a new direction.

Obedience toward the promise leads us to make choices that separate us from what we have known and thrust us into uncomfortable places.

As Joshua and the Israelites stood poised for their great transition, a sense of anticipation mixed with uncertainty filled the air.

What would happen when they crossed?

Would they be able to grasp the promise fully?

Everything is new when the promise of God comes to pass in your life. You will not be the same person any longer. New levels of living in the promise will press you into a deeper relationship with the Lord, resulting in stronger obedience.

When Joshua tells the priests to “go,” they begin walking, carrying the ark of the covenant. What gives me pause in this storyline is when their feet touch the edge of the water. A miracle happens when they place their toes in the water.

Miracles are the beginning elements of walking into God's promises. If you need healing in your body, there is a miracle waiting for you, but healing is not the end result. Healing will bring you to the point of crossover into even greater things for God.

Your testimony of healing becomes a new platform to speak of God’s greatness. Free from physical limitations, your new body becomes the hardware to walk in new paths. The edge is only the beginning. After your crossover, there is so much more in store for you, but the problem is we often stop before we step in the water.

We tend to stand on the sidelines of miracles, waiting for the Lord to throw us into them when He is actually waiting for us to obey and step into the water.

Your place of crossover into God's promises for your life is a co-laboring mission with the Lord. It is you and Him together seeing the impossible come to pass. He made a promise and is fully capable and willing to keep it. He is moving heaven and earth to prepare you for it. But YOU have to take the first step of obedience!

So, what is your edge?

What is it the Lord has placed in front of you? Is there a place where Jesus asks you for your obedience in your life? If He is, make the move. Do it. Go for it. Stick your toes in the water. God will meet you with miracles if you will obey.

He is pressing me in multiple areas. I do not feel competent in any of them, but He still speaks to me, asking for my obedience of faith.

Often, we look at the end result of obedience. We see the outcome in the far distance, but to get there, I have to start. Starting is hard. Doing something new is hard. Making a first step is scary and uncomfortable. But I encourage you to step!

The Lord meets us at the step. He makes the river stand up so that we can cross over on dry land. Too often, we want to see the river dry up first, and then we will choose to cross. But the Lord always seems to do everything backward.

If we move and get our feet wet, He will respond to our faith by drying up the riverbed.

Maybe your edge is starting a new job, moving to a new city, or beginning an unfamiliar journey, or perhaps it is something more personal. Your water’s edge might mean asking someone to forgive you for past mistakes. The edge of God's promise for your life might push you into becoming kinder, more relational, and more out front, and with these things comes discomfort and the feeling of overwhelm.

Do not let overwhelm stop you from placing your feet in the water!

If you are at the edge of something and sense the Lord impressing you to move forward, do it.

Let’s pray together:

Lord, will you open my eyes to see the amazing promises you have placed before me? Will you show me the next steps of obedience you desire from me? Please give me courage and willingness to step into places that make me uncomfortable and allow you to do the impossible. Strengthen my resolve and my faith as I listen to your voice. Bring clarity to my heart. Lord, I will say “yes” to anything you ask. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen!

Quote:

When you are obedient in what makes you uncomfortable, you create space for the Lord to do the impossible.