Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Trepidation edged the excitement swirling around the community. They were finally going to do it! After weeks, months, years of wandering, they were finally going to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land. It was wildly exciting. It was terribly alarming. The culmination of all their hopes and dreams was finally right before them. They would do what their ancestors had failed to do. Inhabit the promised land. Possess it. Own it. Finished would be the never-ending carnival ride of packing, travelling, moving. Their homes wouldn’t be temporary anymore. They could settle down, establish roots. Their hearts were filled to the brim with emotion. Joy. Relief. Anxiety. Fear. Before them stood one final obstacle. The Jordan River. Rushing waters. Overflowing banks. Unusual depths. Gazing at the turbulent flow, their hearts sank, their stomachs clenched, their doubts surfaced. How, exactly, were they going to get to the promised land? 

Under normal circumstances, the Jordan would be formidable, but still crossable. It would take some ingenuity and expertise, but they could do it. But these were not normal circumstances. The waters were flowing down from the mountains at an exceptional pace, making the Jordan River deeper and wider and more chaotic than usual. Their women and children didn’t stand a chance against the current. Their livestock would struggle to make it across alone, likely wouldn’t make it when weighed down with goods. Many of the men would face difficulties attempting to cross themselves, rendering them unable to help others in need. Staring at the water, recognizing the dangers it held, the people felt the icy fingers of defeat grip their hearts. They wanted to cross, yes, but weren’t sure they could. Not safely. Not right now. 

Either Joshua was crazy, or he had heard a different word from the Lord. Wait didn’t seem to be in his vocabulary. He was planning to cross the river. Now. He had a whole set of instructions. Specific steps to be followed. Ordered directions and set spacing. The ark of the covenant, carried by the priests, would go first. By a large margin. No one who wasn’t a Levitical priest tasked with carrying the ark should go near it. At all. They were not to approach. Not to get close. Absolutely not to run ahead of it. The ark of God was going to lead the way, show them where to walk. They hadn’t been through there before. They didn’t know the path. They had no idea where they were going. They could easily drown, make a wrong turn, go astray. But God wouldn’t. He knew the way, every dip and drop and mossy rock. He would safely lead them across the fast-flowing waters of the Jordan. The people of Israel had only two tasks. Consecrate themselves to God in obedience now and follow the leaders later. Right through the Jordan River. 

One wonders how long it took them to realize they were going to have a Red Sea experience in the Jordan River. This time it wouldn’t come as a surprise. Joshua told them exactly what would happen. Traveling a significant distance ahead of the people and carrying the ark of the covenant, the priests would step into the edge of the river. As the soles of their feet met the water, the miraculous would happen. The waters would part, stacking up like banks. Nothing would flow down. Nothing would sit still. Not one puddle would form. There wouldn’t even be mud on their sandals when they reached the other side. They were going to walk across on dry land. A miracle nearly identical to the one God had performed for their ancestors when they exited Egypt and originally headed for the promised land. 

Not that any of the people now had memories of that experience then. They didn’t. This was not the generation that had been enslaved in Egypt. That generation had passed away, unable to enter the promised land because of their sins, their unbelief, their lack of faith. This was a new experience for this generation. They had heard the stories, sat in awe at the thought, yet never had their wildest dreams included experiencing such a miracle. But they were going to. The very next day. God promised through Joshua. But first they had work to do. Instructions to follow. A task to complete. They had to consecrate themselves to God. Clean out their hearts. Clean up their lives. Confess their sins–all of them. They needed to recognize the seriousness of coming before God, asking for a miracle. They needed to go into this moment with hearts fully surrendered to the purpose of God, hearts completely devoted to His will, and eyes full of faith to see Him do the miraculous for them. They had to prepare themselves, because God was on the move. (Numbers 14:29)

To be fair, it had been a bit of a dry spell where miracles were concerned. There hadn’t been a rock spewing water or birds falling from the sky for quite some time. They hadn’t fought a recent battle ending in a phenomenal victory. Preceding Moses’ death, there had been a lot of talking. A lot of preaching. A lot of admonishing. Moses had reminders for them. Things he didn’t want them to forget. Things God required of them. Laws. Rules. Commandments. Moses had other words, too. Blessings. Warnings. A new covenant between God and His people. Moses had spent his last days preparing them to go on without him. Encouraging them to follow Joshua in his stead. Finally, having said all he had to say, Moses had gone. Trudging up the mountain to his certain demise. Sadness and mourning had shrouded the encampment for thirty days. Then Joshua, their new leader, told them it was time to move out. Out of their grief. Out of their mourning. Out of Moab. And into the good place God had for them. (Numbers 20:1-13; Exodus 16:12-13; 17:8-16; Deuteronomy 28-34)

It took every ounce of strength and courage they had to pack up and follow Joshua. Not necessarily because they didn’t trust him, but because their hearts were still with Moses. He had proved his mettle from the beginning. Their parents and grandparents had trusted him. He had a reputation for being a strong leader. Joshua had the potential, but not the resume. He hadn’t done all the things Moses had done. He hadn’t faced down Pharaoh and escaped with his life. He hadn’t brought them water from rocks when they believed themselves to be near death in the wilderness. He hadn’t travelled up a mountain–twice–to bring them the laws and commands of God so they could know how to live in accordance with His will. Joshua had done very little to prove his leadership skills, yet here he was, asking for their allegiance to him, their consecration to God, and their faith that God was still doing miracles even though they hadn’t seen a new one for a hot minute. (Exodus 5:1-2; 7:10; 10:28-29; 17:1-7; 20:1-17; 24:12, 18; 34:28-29; Joshua 1:10-18; 3:5)

Lining up behind the priests and the ark of the covenant, ready to cross the Jordan River as they had been commanded, their stomachs knotted in anxiety at the rushing waters before them. Barring a miracle, it would be certain death. As the priests stepped forward, the people held their breath. One step. Two steps. Three. The next step was it. The final one. The priests’ feet would land in the water, and the people were anxious. If the water stayed in place, their faith was misplaced. Their prayers were unanswered. Their consecration in vain. But. If the water displaced, if the miracle happened, it would be confirmation. God was truly among them, working for them, obviously on the move. 

That is exactly how it happened. Barely had the priests’ sandals touched the water before it rolled back, making a path of dry land. They were gobsmacked. Astounded. Astonished. The stories they had heard about the Red Sea were nothing in comparison to seeing it with one’s own eyes. The water literally stacked up in a towering mountain of rushing, roaring power, leashed by God’s own hand. The land they needed to tread was bare and dry. No water. No residual moisture. No mud. Dry land. A clear path through the overwhelming fury to the safety of the other shore. A path built on surrender, obedience, and faith that God was on the move. (Joshua 3)

Forty years elapsed between the Red Sea crossing and that at the Jordan River. A lot had gone down in that amount of time. Sin. Salvation. Rebellion. Forgiveness. Straying. Returning. Their own fickleness had resulted in a lot of unnecessary wandering. But they were following now. Following God. Following Joshua. Following directions. Building a story of faithfulness–both God’s and theirs–to tell their grandchildren. It would be one of the most important stories they told. If they got the lesson right. Because the lesson would be the same for every generation, perfectly presented in Joshua’s words to them, “Clean up your hearts. Straighten up your lives. Surrender yourselves. Submit to God. Be prepared. Be ready. Watch in anticipation. You don’t want to miss this. God is on the move.” (Joshua 3:5)

At some point in the people of Israel’s journey around the wilderness, the story of the promised land must have seemed like just that. A story. A pipe dream. A hope. A wish. The Biblical accounts tell us they often found it easier to go their own way than to go God’s. They doubted and feared, regretted and reneged. The initial lot of them never saw the promised land because of it. It didn’t have to be that way. Had they stayed consecrated to God, surrendered, submitted, faithful, they would actually have gotten there. That’s the lesson here. A lesson of staying. God is on the move, but you need to stay. Stay surrendered. Stay submitted. Stay steadfast. Stay strong. God is at work. He has a plan. He is orchestrating every piece and part of your life into a masterpiece. Artwork by God. All the prayers you have prayed and cries you have made have been heard. God is acting. Even if you can’t see it. Even if you don’t feel it. Even when the space between your soul and God’s promise is filled with an insurmountable obstacle. Rest in the knowledge that impossible things are His specialty. God isn’t done. Your story isn’t finished. So stay. Stay still. Stay faithful. Stay trusting. Stay obedient. Stay silent and wait for instructions. They will come. It is imperative that you obey. Because God is on the move. (James 4:7, 10; Luke 9:23; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 2:5; 5:17; Romans 8:28; Jeremiah 29:11; Isaiah 1:19; 40:31; II Peter 3:9; Psalm 24:17; Deuteronomy 5:33)