Day 62: Joshua 1, 2 and 3

You have never been this way before (Joshua 3:4).

In chapter three, Joshua encourages the Israelites to follow the Ark of the Covenant as they cross the Jordan, for they are about to go where no man has gone before... well, at least where no Israelite had gone in the last 400 years. The problem was they didn’t know where they were going. This was terra incognita. With no GPS (not even a map), they were going to need some help getting to their destination.

Joshua gave them good advice: When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go… (3:3-4). This was more than just good common sense. True, the ark was easy to see and thus easy to follow. But more to the point, God would lead the way.

In the case of Israel, the people had followed Moses and now they were following Joshua. Joshua was following God, and they were to follow Joshua. Or as the Apostle Paul would say more than a thousand years later: Follow my example as I follow the example of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Trust God to raise up a leader, and then follow that leader. Every day is new territory, and you have never been this way before.

TODAY’S MEDITATION

Every morning when you wake up, you’re headed into uncharted territory. Reflect on what it means to have the Holy Spirit walking with you.