Letting God Lead

Josh. 3:3-4 - "As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before" (ESV).

When was the last time you were traveling through a city or town you had never been in before? Prior to travel aids like GPS and Mapquest you had to rely on directions or information from local residents in order to reach your destination. The best solution was always to follow someone else who knew where they were going.

In this text from Joshua, the Israelites were preparing to finally enter the promised land of rest and God wanted to make sure that His people remembered who had brought them this far as well as who was going to lead them the rest of the way. They were preparing to enter a place completely different than the wilderness they had been traversing for 40 years. No one but Joshua and Caleb had been in this land and God's plan was for them to follow His lead.

We need to be reminded of the same thing today. We need to rely on God to lead us in life. While it is true that we need God during the uncertain and unfamiliar times of life, we need to make sure that God is the one in front leading us at all times.

Just like the ancient Israelites entering the unfamiliar territory of Canaan, may we also learn to let God lead us and not presume to run ahead!

Jeremy Dehut

(Originally posted on 4/28/09)