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Crossing our Own Jordan River: Dealing with Barriers

The memorial stones in Joshua 4 were designed to be seen and to testify about this time when God had completely held back the waters of the Jordan River in order to lead the Israelites into the land that He had promised. The Israelites had to depend upon God and trust Him to miraculously remove the barrier and to lead them to the fulfillment of His promises. The Israelites did nothing out of their own ability, strength, or cleverness. It was ALL God! The monument of the memorial stones was a dedication to a great miracle, a great crossing, and a new beginning for the Israelites.

There are times when the Christian faces a surmounting challenge that leads only to trusting God for a miracle. As we cross our own Jordan River in life, we are dependent upon God alone. There are simply barriers that are beyond our control that we cannot cross on our own. Thus, we come to a place where our feet touch the edge of the waters and we must wholly trust the Lord God for salvation. When we face these times in our lives of crossing our own Jordan River, we need to carry our memorial stones as we cross so that we may prepare to testify about our great God and His mighty works in the end. Joshua chapter 4 ends with verse 24 that emphasizes the great works of God: “…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.”

Etching these moments of God’s faithfulness into our memories will encourage and lift us up when facing the next metaphorical river in our lives. “We remember [the past great works of God] as a point of faith, so we can trust God for greater and greater works in the future, because we have seen and experienced His past faithfulness.”[1] Keeping a written account of these treasured experiences with God is beneficial for the time when memory fades because of overwhelming circumstances or dimming hope. Meditating about God's faithfulness throughout time.... in the lives of the Israelites, the disciples, and our own life provides a renewed spirit in times of despair. Remembering God’s provision, guidance and tender care is foundational to our faith and hope ~ even through the most difficult circumstances in life. Let us make a pile of memorial stones in our own hearts and minds as we cross our own barriers and Jordan Rivers so that we will remember and testify about our Great God – to a great miracle, a great crossing, and to a new beginning in our lives.

[1] “Joshua 4,” Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary. Web page. Available from http://www.christnotes.org/commentary.php?com=mhc&b=6&c=4.