(From my column “Looking Forward and
Glancing Back” in the SGT monthly newsletter, June, 1988.)
In the symbolic pilgrimage to our
“Promised Land,” we, like the Israelites, have been poised on the banks of the
Jordan. We, too, have been called to preparation and purification. Now it is
time to cross the Jordan—no turning back.
Last month, we looked at the first
part of Joshua 3:5 (purification) and, as promised, this month we want to focus
on the second part of that marvelous verse. In that verse, Joshua told the
people to purify themselves, “For
tomorrow, the Lord will do a great miracle.” The New American Standard
translates it, “the Lord will do wonders among you.” That is truly exciting—“a
great miracle”—“wonders among you”! But the question is, do we believe it? Yes!
Without a doubt! The Lord is faithful!
Along with the many miracles God has
shown us over the last three years, He has taught us many lessons—lessons about
the power of prayer, the power of faith, the power of obedience, and the power of hard work. God’s Word is full of
stories in which the above ingredients were essential in the completing of His
will. If we do our part, God does His—“wonders among you.”
When the children of Israel crossed
the Jordan, they crossed on dry land. That was their “miracle.” But what of our
Jordan, what river must we cross? I believe our river Jordan has been the
“halfway” mark in our sixty-thousand-dollar goal. After $30,000, all we raise
is on the downhill side. It’s like every long journey we take, the road seems
so much shorter once we’ve made it halfway.
Yes, we’ve been camped on the banks of
the Jordan a long time as that elusive $30,000 mark has loomed before us much
like a roaring river blocking our hopes of victory. But now we, too, have had
our miracle from God! Praise the Lord, we have topped the hill, reached the
peak, crossed the Jordan! We’re now on the other side of that halfway mark, and
it is time to praise God from whom all blessings
flow! Thank You, Father! Praise Your Holy Name! We give You all the praise and
glory!
Crossing the Jordan wasn’t the end of
the road for the children of Israel. No indeed, it was only the beginning.
There were still many battles to be fought before they could truly occupy the
land. Their first battle was Jericho—a city surrounded by a high, seemingly
insurmountable, wall. We, too, have
our wall. It is the wall of financial need that is still before us. As I shared
with you eleven months ago, when we began our quest for a new home, God gave me
a vision of our “Promised Land” surrounded by a wall with corner towers topped
with dollar signs. We have been chipping away at the financial wall for the
past eleven months, and now is the time to make an all-out assault—to prya, to
work, to march around that figurative wall and shout praises to our Lord as the
wall crumbles and victory is ours! Praise the Lord!
COMING NEXT: MARCHING
TO VICTORY
As certain as life itself, the Lord is with us and
will help us to win if we fight—by
His rules!
