Getting Ready to Meet The Living God Among You
9 And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come here and listen to the words of the Lord your God.” 10 And Joshua said, “Here is how you shall know that the living God is among you and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Perizzites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, and the Jebusites. 11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is passing over before you into the Jordan. 12 Now therefore take twelve men from the tribes of Israel, from each tribe a man. 13 And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap.”
This generation had heard about faithlessness their entire lives. Every time mom made a Manna lasagna or Manna pie, somebody had to explain that there were only 2 men out of a bajillion that trusted God 20 years ago. Then it was 30 years ago. Then it was almost 40 years ago.
Sure, there were miracles during the 40 years in the wilderness. It rained bread almost every morning and once they had birds up to their knees for dinner. The pillar of fire and smoke was there every single day to protect them in the dark of night and shadow them in the day. But God needed this next generation to follow Him personally, not just historically or traditionally.
Joshua said, “Here is how you are going to know that the living God is among you…” and played out the plan. God is about to work some new miracles, all you travelers, and it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before. The folks that had seen God move in their 20s had prepared their kids for this day by passing down stories of Abraham, Noah, and even Moses. Now as they entered the long-awaited promised land, they were going to know the same God was with them.
Sometimes we instigate these moments by going on a mission trip or joining the team that will help put on a PROJECT or joining the prayer team, but that’s not always how they happen. Sometimes the day we are preparing the next generation for comes on terms we didn’t agree to. A college dorm or by the dumpster behind their first job could be the place where God shows up so that they “shall know that the living God is among you.”
God promised the people that the Jordan would stop flowing while they went by, and He delivered on that promise. Without seeing the future prophetically, we can tell the next generation about what will happen as God shows Himself to be living and among them.
- God will always forgive your sin (1 John 1:9)
- Jesus will always be with you (Matthew 28:20)
- Jesus is constantly interceding for you (Romans 8:34)
Whether Jesus calls the next generation to walk on water or to walk through the water that He separates, it’s on us to tell them the stories of His past faithfulness. At some point, He’ll work on every person to know that the living God is among them.
It’s our privilege to prepare them to recognize Him.
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