Joshua 3:4
Truer words could not have been spoken to the people of Israel then, and more fitting words could not be spoken to us in our present crisis. Indeed, we have not been here before, have we?!
It sounds as if the four priests who carried the ark were directed in some supernatural way as they walked so that they went exactly where the Lord wanted them to. And the people, while told to follow the ark carefully, were to give plenty of space to the ark so it could go wherever the Lord directed. They were not to crowd the priests.
Remember that the flood-stage Jordan wasn’t the only obstacle to the Promised Land. Even minus the water, some portions of the riverbed would not have been suitable for a foot crossing. Since the Lord knew what was underneath the water, He directed the priests’ footsteps to exactly the right place for an entire nation to cross a dry riverbed. Isn’t that just like Him?
And with that same heart of kindness and care He wants to guide you and me in this crisis. For He knows we haven’t been this way before. He’s fully aware of all the impossible obstacles we face–including the unseen ones beneath the surface. He has factored all this into His wise and loving plan. Our part is to follow Him very carefully. Not to crowd Him. Not to turn to the right or the left. Not to run ahead or lag behind. Just to follow Him. Very carefully.
For we have not been this way before.