Plunge Ahead

Many people seem to live by the slogan, "Why pray when you can panic?" The Israelites at the Red Sea epitomized that attitude. Cornered by the enemy with no evident escape, they "cried out to the Lord" (Ex. 14: 10)--not, judging from the next two verses, to ask for help out of their situation, but to tell Him it was His fault they were in that situation. Rather than humbly asking Him what to do, they arrogantly demanded to know what He thought He was doing. And even after He provided a miraculous way out, they never gave up the habit of whining "God doesn't love us; if He did, He never would have let things get this tough" in response to every difficulty.

Contrast this with the attitude of their immediate descendants forty years later. In Joshua 3, the nation of Israel was finally ready to enter the Promised Land. But first--children, livestock, and all--they had to cross the flooded Jordan River. It couldn't have seemed an easy task, but there's no record anyone complained or protested. They simply "broke camp to cross" (v. 14, NIV). And "as soon as the priests [leading the procession] reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing" (vs. 15-16). Notice that, unlike the Red Sea, the water here didn't open a dry path until the people were already moving forward! The bank of the Jordan is steep, so this was no gradual wading in; it was a step directly into the thick of things, in confidence God would make a way. Hard battles lay ahead; but these Israelites had the faith to be ready for anything.

Anyone who truly wants to live the Christian life can count on sooner or later being called to an impossible-looking task. The instinctive response is either to whine and argue, or to procrastinate in the hope God will first remove all obstacles. But only when we are willing to trust (without demanding unmistakable evidence) that God never assigns without empowering, are we prepared to do His work effectively.

Are you ready to cross the "Jordan" in your life?

So you feel you're standing before the sea
With an angry army behind,
No way to retreat, no way to advance,
No way out that you can find?
Lift your eyes to the Lord, put your trust in Him,
Step forward at His command,
And the sea will part as you plunge ahead,
And your crossing be on dry land.

So you feel you're standing upon the bank
Of a river that's in full flood,
No way to advance, not a boat in sight,
For a bridge not a plank of wood?
Lift your eyes to the Lord, put your trust in Him,
Step forward at His command,
And the flow will stop as you plunge ahead,
And your crossing be on dry land.

So you feel you're standing before a task
That's beyond any mortal power,
Afraid to advance, but afraid to run,
All your dreams for yourself gone sour?
Lift your eyes to the Lord, put your trust in Him,
Step forward with Him as Guide:
He will hold your hand as you plunge ahead,
In the strength of the Crucified.