Living in the Spirit
November 3, 2014

Scripture Reading: Joshua 3:7-17

The Lord said to Joshua, ‘This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, “When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.” ’— Joshua 3:7-8

Have you ever felt like you were on a very big boat in a vast ocean with no one at the helm and the only thing you know for sure is the final destination? Perhaps that is the way Joshua felt the first morning after Moses was gone. The waters of the Jordan were at their highest seasonal levels and he had been given the charge not only to take the Israelites across the water but to also claim the Promised Land.

Earlier in the story Joshua along with representatives from each of the twelve tribes had been sent ahead to spy on that Promised Land. When the spies returned they reported the great wealth of the land but also the great size and strength of its inhabitants. Joshua and Caleb were the only two of the twelve who saw the possibility of claiming the land. And Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, ‘The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. (Numbers 14:6-8)

The great boat is life and the vast ocean is the world in which we find ourselves. We who profess to be followers of Christ Jesus have been called to sail that ship by the power of abundant love through whatever challenges we might face in turning our world into the place of justice and righteousness Christ envisioned for all God’s children. Joshua was guided by his communion with God. We, too, have the same guide who can and will help us through whatever is standing in the way of our realizing that goal.

Prayer: O God, lift [my] drooping hands and strengthen [my] weak knees, and make straight paths for [my] feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed (Hebrews 12:12)—so that I may be prepared to lead or follow as you call me to do. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.