Joshua 3:13 “And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”
Most miracles don’t just happen. God seems to like our involvement in carrying out his purposes.
When the Israelites reached the edge of Canaan, they faced an insurmountable body of water—the Jordan River. If the wandering-weary nation hoped to gain God’s promise, they needed a miracle. The all-powerful God could have parted those waters without their help, but instead he gave them the opportunity to be an integral part of his plan. He directed the priests to walk right into the flood-stage waters with the ark. As they did, the surging flood would stop flowing, and the people could cross on dry land.
Before the miracle occurred, the priests first had to move with intention.
I remember a story Corrie ten Boom told after her release from the Ravensburg concentration camp. She was speaking in churches throughout Europe about God’s forgiveness. One night at the end of a service, a man came up to her. Immediately, she recognized him. He had been one of the cruelest guards at the prison. As he extended his hand to her, explaining how he had become a believer, he asked for her forgiveness. She froze, paralyzed with pain from the past. Unable to feel anything but contempt for this man, she silently cried out to God. He told her to reach out and grab her former torturer’s hand. And as she took that one step—right into the waters of bitterness, pain and grief—the floodwaters of unforgiveness receded, replaced with the swell of God’s love. A miracle no less profound than when Israel crossed the Jordan occurred in that moment.
But before the miracle occurred, Corrie first had to move with intention.
I believe we miss many of God’s miracles because we fail to do our part. God says do something, and we don’t because we don’t see how we could make a difference. The Jordan River is too high, Lord! We choose to live in the dry land of unbelief rather than praise God with intention for what we don’t yet see.
So when God directs you to put your foot in the water or extend your hand, don’t hesitate. A miracle might be in the making.