Wet Feet Faith

With a bazillion books having been written to answer the question "What is faith?" Can there actually be anything new to say? Doubtful, right? However it's amazing to me how the Word of God is relevant to every generation. I marvel at how God's Word speaks to me anew, over and over again. So, is there anything new to say about faith! Absolutely there is. I mean, check this out. If you read Joshua chapter 3 where the Israelites were about to cross the Jordan river, you'll find this amazing act of faith of the people, which brought forth a powerful move of God.

The day before their prospective crossing, Joshua tells the people to "consecrate themselves for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders." Then he turns and tells the priests "you go on ahead of the people." God told Joshua that day that He was going to begin an amazing work in Joshua, to exalt him before the people and they would know that God was with Joshua as God was with Moses when he lead the people.

Ok, hang on . . . because here comes the powerful thing. God told Joshua to have the priests carry the ark of the covenant, and stand in the waters of the Jordan, and watch the miracle working power of God!

Now, you have to realize that the Israelites were desert dwellers, they weren't used to waters of any size. They certainly weren't skilled in how to cross raging, swelling rivers! They were however, used to the stories that had been passed down to them, of a time when their forefamilies crossed the Red Sea. In that story God told Moses to touch the sea with his rod, at which time the sea parted and people walked across on dry land! Moses didn't even have to get his feet wet. He just reached forward from his safe, dry spot and poked his stick into the water, and poof . . . the sea parted. God gave the instruction, and Moses had the faith to believe it, and act on it! But, here? The Priests were instructed to go beyond past revelation, to go beyond their past experiences of faith, and believe God for something new, bigger and certainly scarier! So, the priests load up the Ark of the Covenant, and move toward the storm swelled rivers edge. This was a river that was very likely boiling, churning and slapping at their feet; which likely stirred up in them fear, doubt, and more questions than answers. Most of the year the Jordan River was nothing more than a trickling brook. But during the season of the harvest, it was over-flowing and storm swelled. So, the priests stepped into those storm-swelled waters as an act of obedience more than an act of faith, and watched a powerful miracle of God; as God heaped up the waters on either side making provision for them, or as the song says . . . a "bridge over troubled water."

I realize from reading this passage, that before the miracle could take place, it required the priests to step into a raging, question filled, fearful situation as an active participant in the storm calming miracle of God. I realize also, that faith is not something we grasp, but actually it's something that grasps us! Let me explain. Faith realized by action, grabs us and propells us to the next, even greater response and faith step.

What ever storm we face, we must join God in the midst of it, without running from the storm. In doing so, we actually run into the arms of God, who calms the sea, and makes a way for us to cross over the "rough spots" of our lives!

So, Heavenly Father, in wet-feet faith, I run into the storm and into Your arms!