Lessons from the riverbed

I have crossed lots of Jordan Rivers in my life; I’m sure you have, too.

As we see in the book of Joshua (Chapters 1-3), Jordan River crossings are huge, God-sized challenges. They are seasons in life when we have to take steps we really would prefer not to take. The reasons are obvious: these crossings are usually scary and inconvenient, not to mention they require us to let go of self-reliance and fully trust God’s good heart. This was true of Israel thousands of years ago, and it is still true for Jesus’ followers and His church today.

But, crossing Jordan Rivers are also the times of our greatest growth and victories. There is no doubt I have learned more about God and myself down in the riverbed than any place else. And now we, as a church (and I personally), find ourselves needing to remember the riverbed principles God has taught us in the past. Here are the ones that come to mind today.

I cannot do it myself.
For me personally, this is the one of the hardest lessons from the riverbed. I was raised by an ex-Marine who believed that hard work and discipline could accomplish anything. And though sweat equity is a component of successful river crossings, we are foolish to think we can make it apart from God. Lord, help me to see the truth!

God wants to help.
Our Creator is more than ready to guide our steps so we will succeed in making it across the river. As described in Joshua, He powerfully blocks the waters so Israel can pass through safely (not to mention His help on the other side). Our Creator is completely trustworthy, and it is only when we are blinded by our sin that we lose confidence in His goodness. Rescue us, Lord; we need it!

I must let God be God.
God made us to worship, and that’s exactly what we do. Unfortunately, we often worship the creation rather than the Creator. We worship our intellect, nature, money, strength, friends, heroes, technology, work, power, sexual pleasures—the list is endless for each one of us. And so, the ultimate question at the bottom of the river bed is: Who is in charge? Am I in charge, which means I must try to crawl my way out of the river on my own? Or, will I let God be in charge, which means that the greatest power of the universe will empower my journey? As much as the answer might seem obvious, it has been a lifelong battle to let God be God. Give me your grace, Lord!

I am not alone.
I have never crossed a Jordan River completely by myself. I might have felt lonely as I walked, thinking I was by myself, but there were always others all around. At various crossings I have been helped by lots of different people: my mom and dad, my friends, Mary Lou, three boys, co-workers, teachers, pastors and so many more. My list of advocates and cheerleaders is endless; people have poured their life into me. Thank you, Lord, for these advocates!

In the bottom of the river, there is only one name that matters: Jesus, the name above all others. Call upon Him today; He is eager to walk with you. And He is eager to walk with His church, Covenant, as we cross together.

Help us, Lord!
Charlie