“And it shall come to pass … that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.”

— Joshua 3:13

Remember the last time you faced a situation so daunting that you didn’t know how to respond, a situation in which all potential solutions just produced more challenges? Perhaps you’re facing this kind of situation today.

Life seems to constantly throw challenges in our paths. We overcome one challenge, and there’s another one in our way. And the greater level of comfort we seek in life, the greater our consternation when hardships arise.

But if we’re to grow in Christ, we must persevere. Consider what Joshua faced. As Moses’ successor, Joshua had been commissioned by God to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. After the Israelites had wandered in the desert aimlessly for years, God finally led them out of the sands and to the river’s edge.

The Israelites had never come to this point before, and despite the heat and rough terrain, they’d grown familiar and comfortable with the desert. At the river’s edge, the Israelites confronted a new fear. The river was not fordable, and beyond it were walled cities and hostile tribes. But consider the troubles they were leaving behind: a desert and raging sun that had consumed a generation of Israelites. If they stepped into the river, they’d leave all that behind and enter the green and pleasant land of Canaan. Joshua led them into taking a step of faith, and God miraculously opened up the Jordan River. From there, God helped the Israelites conquer one tribe after another in order to inhabit the Promised Land.

We can identify with the Israelites’ situation. All at once something disrupts our usual flow: a new danger, a new fear, a new expectation, a new unknown. We get comfortable with the familiar and hesitate to engage in a new endeavor. But when we challenge new obstacles, we simultaneously leave others behind.

Are you facing a new possibility today, something unknown, unfamiliar, maybe even a bit dangerous? If God calls you to move ahead, step into the river. Don’t hesitate to trust God. He anxiously waits to bestow His blessings on you as you follow His call.

“There is no education like adversity.”
Benjamin Disraeli