Where am I going?

Scripture:

Joshua 3

2 After three days the officers went throughout the camp, 3 giving orders to the people: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests, who are Levites, carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. 4 Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of about a thousand yards ^[a] between you and the ark; do not go near it.”

Observation:

Here the Israelites were heading out under the new leadership of Joshua into the promised land. This was it! God was going to take them to that amazing place he had set aside just for them! In order for this to happen, the Israelites had to follow and obey God to get there because they had “never been this way before.” (v. 4). While doing this, they also needed to maintain that reverance for the presence and power of God (”But keep a distance of about a thousand yards between you and the ark; do not go near it.”)

 Application:

Something I have heard asked and pondered by people many times (including myself) is “What does God have for me?” or “What is God’s plan for my life?” As we wonder this and pray about it, we are often expecting the answer to just fall in our laps or to suddenly appear in a concise letter in our email inboxes. But here, we see God telling the Israelites to set their eyes on the presence of God and to move out from their positions…not knowing the WAY and to remain in an attitude of worship and reverance toward God along the way. I know I get frustrated sometimes feeling “blind” to what God’s next step is for me, but it’s clear that if I just focus on God (and not myself), that He will take me there. He will take YOU there. It all happens when we focus on His presence and not our own. When we obey, worship and seek growth through perseverance…then God will take us through and into the plans He has for our lives. It will all fall together when we do just that.

Prayer:

Father God, you are so amazing and I thank you for the plans you have for my life –plans for tomorrow and for today. Help me to not long for them to become MY plans, but to walk in them as YOUR plans — for YOUR Glory. Help me to persevere through trials, through those times where it is hard to see how You are moving with an attitude of reverance and praise, knowing that you will guide me. ~Amen