Joshua 3:7-17 (text for internet readers)
"7 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. 8 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.' " 9 Joshua then said to the Israelites, "Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God." 10 Joshua said, "By this you shall know that among you is the living God who without fail will drive out from before you the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites: 11 the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is going to pass before you into the Jordan. 12 So now select twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 When the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan flowing from above shall be cut off; they shall stand in a single heap. 14 When the people set out from their tents to cross over the Jordan, the priests bearing the ark of the covenant were in front of the people. 15 Now the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest. So when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were dipped in the edge of the water, 16 the waters flowing from above stood still, rising up in a single heap far off at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan, while those flowing toward the sea of the Arabah, the Dead Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 While all Israel were crossing over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, until the entire nation finished crossing over the Jordan.
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Countdown to Election Day. We can return to watching TV after Tuesday! It's a holiday that most people don't usually get excited about. But this year there's such a mixture of hope for change and new things and possibilities along with fear and anxiety. I don't know where you are with politics, but I want to encourage every one who is able to vote, considering your choices carefully and prayerfully. And I also wanted to share a wonderful reminder from a bishop from New Zealand at the close of our diocesan convention last week. Bishop Gray addressed the convention and said "In my hotel room all I can get is CNN, and there's this person, O... something" (and people shouted out "Obama!"). "Well it seems that people think this Obama person is going to save the world!" (some people shouted yes!) "But he can't save the world, only Jesus can do that. And there's this kupuna, what's his name?" (and people shouted McCain). "Some people seem to think that he's going to save the world as well, but he can't, Jesus has already done that." People got very quiet

It must have been an exciting time for the Israelites to finally enter their land of promise. They had been in the desert for forty years. It was time to move across the Jordan River and into Canaan. There had been discouragement and disappointments along the way but now it was time! It was time to break out of the mundane routines they had developed in the wilderness. But today, old routines were pau.

One teacher says it this way: they had to move out so that they could move in.

Speaking of routines, there was a bit of Halloween excitement in Atlanta when a Delta Airlines ramp agent opened the baggage compartment she found a live cheetah roaming on the plane. The animal was being shipped in a specially designed box from an Oregon Zoo. I bet it changed her from saying, "Same Old Stuff, Different Day." It sure would raise my stress level to suddenly look at a pair of predatory eyes instead of the usual suitcases and boxes.

This day in the life of Israel was a different type of excitement. This was the fulfillment of a promise that God had made to Abraham about 500 years before.

Now the previous verses tell us that Joshua and company had come to the brink of the Jordan River and camped there. After 3 days the officers walked through the camp and told everybody, "When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the priests, then you shall set out from your place. Follow it,"

Now "the Ark" is mentioned seven times in this chapter. So there must be some importance to it. It's not Noah's Ark. It's the Ark of the Covenant. It was the box where the 10 commandments were kept. It signified the dwelling place and the presence of God. The people kept their eyes on God. The only time they moved was when the Ark moved. When God moved, they were to move. When God stopped they stopped. They were completely dependant on Him for direction. They relied on Him 100% for movement. There must have been days that they were just going crazy, wanting to move while that the Ark just stayed in place. And I'm sure there were days when they were kicking back and comfortable when God started to move them. Does that sound like anybody you know?

In his book "Experiencing God" Henry Blackaby states, "we need to see what God is up to around us and then get involved." This may require us leaving our comfort zone.

Israel was about to follow the Ark through a river that was over 1 mile wide. There was no comfort zone. If they wanted to enter God's Promised Land, they would have to move through the river. There were obstacles ahead. Did you catch that it was flood season?

Moses didn't get to cross over. That story is for another day. Let's just say that he got to see the Promised Land but didn't enter it. Sometimes we're like that too. We get up to the brink of God's promises of freedom but we never actually cross over and live the abundant life He has set aside for us. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed by the obstacles that we forget His promises.

But hear this dear sisters and brothers. OBSTACLES ARE OFTEN GOD'S WAY OF PRYING US OUT OF OUR RUT SO THAT WE CAN EXPERIENCE HIS PROMISES.

The Jordan River forced Joshua out of the rut of being second in command to Moses. Moses wasn't going and that meant Joshua would have to step out in faith and lead. More specifically, Joshua had to lead by following the Lord. If you ever expect to get past your obstacles and enter your Canaan, you must learn to follow God.

Under Joshua's leadership the people prepared to cross the Jordan. They could see the prize. Now the Jordan River is usually not a wide river, just about 40 feet at the widest point. But in the springtime it floods its banks and in certain places it could be around 150 feet deep.

So Joshua told the people, (3:5-6), "Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." To the priests Joshua said, "Take up the ark of the covenant, and pass on in front of the people." So they took up the ark of the covenant and went in front of the people."

The people's part was pretty easy. Get ready. Prepare yourselves to see what the Lord is going to do. They had laws that directed them how to get cleaned up and fast. They had to be prepared. I wonder how many times we have missed out on miracles because we weren't prepared.

Then came the hard part. The Lord said to Joshua, to have the priests walk into the flooded Jordan River and then "stand still." The leaders were told to step out and then wait for God's direction.

How did Joshua convince these guys to carry the Ark into a flood and then just stand there? It must have been hard, especially for the ones in front. They had to wade waist high into the river while the guys in the back only had to get their toes wet. I can just imagine a few of them saying, "Go ahead and take the lead. Wasn't I first yesterday? It's your turn today!"

A short note, this is the same river where John baptized Jesus. It's the place where Jesus also went into the water. The start of Jesus' ministry was to submit to His Father and also submit to being baptized by John. We all have those places in our life where the Lord needs us to submit in order to receive a new beginning.

You may think that after they crossed over, everything would be easy. But crossing the Jordan was just the next step in following God. Joshua got everybody together and told them, "Draw near and hear the words of the Lord your God."

Then he told them that on the other side there would be the Canaanites, Hittites and the other "-itites" mentioned here. But they could be assured that the Lord was going with them and would lead them to victory if they lined up and followed Him.

40 years earlier the Israelites had sent out a scouting team to investigate the land they were about to enter. One of the spies was the same Joshua who was about to lead them into the Promised Land. Back in the day they had seen that it was a choice place to live except for 1 problem. The people there were buff: so strong that the spies told people they would be crushed like bugs. Deuteronomy 7:1 states that these seven "ite" nations were greater than Israel. Get this, once they crossed the river, they still had to face the Green Giants and they weren't all that Jolly.

But God had promised, (in Exodus 23:23) that when His messenger went before them all these enemies would be wiped out. In other words, the Lord's presence would protect them. They just had to stay close to Him.

The last time they were faced with giants in the land, they ran away and chose to follow their own wisdom. It cost them 40 years. Now there was a flood to deal with and then they still had to face the giants. What would the do?

It was different now. This time the people looked to God. He was saying, "Follow me… I have a plan…" So they broke camp, tore down their tents, and uprooted their lives to follow Him. The Ark moved. God moved. The nation followed. Once they did that, they finally received what they were praying for. God did amazing things that day.

Were there obstacles? You bet. Anybody remember the old folk song? "The river is deep and the river is wide. Hallelujah. Milk and honey on the other side… Hallelujah." There was an entire nation of people who had to cross over. There was no boat for Michael to row ashore. They couldn't build a bridge; there wasn't enough time or materials. There was only one way to deal with their problem. They needed a miracle. They needed God. What did He do? He went before them, stopped the river and they walked across on dry land! God made a path through the water that allowed a couple of million people to pass through quickly and safely as the priests continued to stand in the middle of the river.

But the water didn't part until they took a step of faith and trusted in the Lord. They could have waited forever and the river would have kept flowing. It didn't part until they took a step and got their feet wet.

Isn't that the way with us? We must step out in faith in order for God to move! He waits to release His miracles until we take that step and trust in Him to provide.

Got any rivers you think are uncrossable? Got any mountains you can't tunnel through? Got any giants standing across flooded rivers that have you paralyzed?

Perhaps it's a river of bitterness and anger standing between you and God's peace. Is it a raging flood of addiction, keeping you away from intimacy with God? Is it a giant of discouragement or depression?
Whatever obstacle you may be facing, do you believe God can lead you through it? Remember church, God specializes in things thought impossible. He does the things others cannot do. But it takes a step. And that step can be scary.

There's a story about a town where only ducks live. Every Sunday the ducks would waddle out of their houses and waddle down Main Street to their church. They waddled into the sanctuary and sat in their proper pews. The duck choir waddled in and took its place, and then the duck minister came forward and opened the duck Bible. He read to them… "Ducks! God has given you wings! With wings you can fly! With wings you can mount up and soar like eagles. No walls can confine you! No fence can hold you! You have wings. God has given you wings and you can fly like birds." All the ducks shouted "AMEN!" and then they all waddled home.

God has offered us all we need today. He has given us wings to fly. And there is joy in using those wings. He has called you to fly! But unless we stop doing things our way and step out and follow God, taking those steps of faith, all we will ever do is waddle. AMEN?

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