We have been looking at the Book of Joshua to find keys for obtaining the promises of God in our own lives. The Promise Land of Canaan has always been a “type” of salvation and the promises of God that are stored up for his people. God had promised Israel the land of Canaan in his covenant with Abraham as he promised the land not only to Abraham but to his descendants. The promises were sure, but had to be obtained by faith and at times through warfare. Victory was assured…but only by faith and faithfulness to Jehovah.
We need to remember that salvation comes to us through no works of our own but only through faith in Jesus. Promises, however, are often conditional. As children of God, we will receive what we need no matter what, but we will have to put in effort for what we want or desire beyond the basics of our spiritual lives. There are times we have to contend for promises, persist in prayer, take steps of faith, and so forth. Because of that, I want us to continue to look for keys to obtaining promises that God for us.
In chapters 3 & 4, we are told of the actual crossing of the Jordan. If you have seen the Jordan River today, it does not look like a formidable barrier for an army or a nation to cross. Much of it has been depleted by irrigation and increased population. However, at the time of Joshua, we are told that the Jordan could be over a mile wide at the time of harvest, which is the time that God chose to send his people across. It could also be ten to twelve feet deep in places so it was a very formidable barrier at the time. Once again, without the intervention of God, Israel could not enter the Promised Land. He could have chosen an easier time of the year, but a miracle here would give them faith for the battles ahead. On the morning of the invasion, the Israelites were told that the priests, carrying the ark of the covenant, would lead them across the river. They were to stay 1000 yards behind the ark and God would show them amazing things (Josh.3:5).
Remember, the entire nation of Israel was crossing. That would be some two million people including women and children, old and young, plus livestock. This would be an impossibility without the supernatural intervention of God. They were to keep their distance so that all could spread out and see the ark, which represented the presence of God. Keeping your eyes on God is essential for receiving your promise. The writer of Hebrews instructs us to fix our eyes of Jesus. Our focus must be on him more than the promise. He is the source of blessing and power and he directs our steps. Going our own way or running head of God will not get us to where we need to be. God must lead and we must follow. He picks the place for us to cross the Jordan and he leads the way.
We are told that as the priests who were carrying the ark, stepped in to the river, God stopped the flow of the river some fifteen miles upstream. How he stopped the river we don’t know, but as the water flowed on south, the people were able to cross over on dry land just as they had crossed the Red Sea with Moses. When God provides a way, he provides a clear way. If it is not clear, it may not be the way or the time he is showing you. The priests stood in the middle of the riverbed as God’s people passed over down stream from the ark so that God continued to stand between his people and destruction.
When Israel had finished crossing over the Jordan, God instructed Israel to provide a man from each tribe to hoist a large stone from the riverbed and take it across to stack up as a historical marker to remind the generations of what God had done there.
Remembranceis a very significant thing in the kingdom of God and a key to receiving his promises. Countless times in scripture, the mighty works of God that he had done for his people are recounted. Stones are piled up, altars of remembrance are erected, and the story of deliverance from Egypt is recounted every Passover. As David prepared to face Goliath, he recalled that God had already delivered him from a lion and a bear and he expected no less with the Philistine. Testimony of what God has done is important because each of those testimonies sets a precedent for what he is willing to do again.
We need to remember what God has already done for us. Journals, index cards, testimonies, even Facebook are places where we can recount the faithfulness and goodness of God in our lives. Too many believers focus on one yet unanswered prayer and forget all the other prayers and blessings God has answered and directed their way. In doing so, their faith fails for the one prayer that has not yet come to pass. If God has been good and faithful in the past, why would we expect him to be any different in our present or in our future. He is unchanging.
Let me encourage you to establish some process for remembrance. It doesn’t have to be a pile of stones as a reminder of what God has already done for you out of his goodness but some kind of record that you can review and that can be passed on to your children, builds faith and endurance for those promises that seem long in coming. Remember to remember.
