April 11, 2024 - Make His Power Known

Joshua 5:1-7:15

Luke 15:1-32

Psalm 81:1-16

Proverbs 13:1

One Year Bible Audio & Daily Reading (oneyearbibleonline.com)

Joshua 4:18 And the priests came up out of the river carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord. No sooner had they set their feet on the dry ground than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood stage as before

The Jordan was a flood stage. Not just a miracle but an over the banks miracle. Have you ever felt like the troubles and obstructions in your life were "running a flood stage"? Not just normal everyday problems that you can trudge through with some perseverance and get through. But overwhelming things that if you tried to swim through you would be swept away and never be able to make it to shore. Those are the times that we have no choice but to rely on God. For smaller rapids we often rely on our own strength to get through the troubles and to remove or overcome obstructions in our lives. If the Jordan's waters were not at flood stage it may have been tempting to think we can forge this river on our own. It may be difficult and even a little dangerous but it can be done. (I am thinking about the Little House on the Prairie episode where they are first going west and they forge a river and their dog gets swept away) But the Jordan being at flood stage made it so there was nothing they could do.

Joshua 4:23 For the Lord your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over. The Lord your God did to the Jordan what he had done to the Red Sea when he dried it up before us until we had crossed over. 24 He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God.”

God did many miracles for the Israelites big and small on their journey through the desert. It stared with a big one parting waters and wiping out their enemy and it is ending with a big parting of water and the promise to drive out their enemies. Moses continually reminded them of all that God had done for them because they continued to see things from the perspective of what can we do? That is why they kept blaming Moses and Aaron and complaining about their situation instead of turning to God. The other response that leaves God out of the equations is the fix it response.

I am not a complainer, but I am a fixer. If you are like me who sees a problem and automatically goes into "What can I do to solve this?" mode, it takes consistent reminding that my God who can part the flood waters can also part the stream. He is the God of over the banks miracles and the God of a pebble in a pond miracles. Learning to recognize God's hand in the big and small things of my life has really helped me to trust Him and turn to Him for all kinds of help not just big help. And when He does help us through the troubles of our lives it is "so that you might always fear [respect, trust & obey] the Lord your God ". But it is not just for us. It is also "so all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful". So, remember them and fear the Lord but don't keep your experiences with God to yourself. Be sure to give Him the credit and the glory for every river He parts, every door He opens and every door He closes, making His power known to all the people you come into contact with.