Taking Ground | Week 3
Day 1
“Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before.” Joshua 3:4
Picture this moment.
It’s early morning, and the people of Israel have just broken camp. The sound of movement fills the air—children gathering belongings, animals braying, tents coming down. Ahead of them lies the Jordan River, and it’s overflowing its banks. The water is high, fast, and loud. It’s springtime, and the flood season has turned what might normally be a simple crossing into something that feels impossible.
Behind them are forty years of wandering. Ahead of them is the promise they’ve waited a lifetime for. And right there at the water’s edge, God says, “Move forward.”
That’s where we find Joshua in Joshua 3. He’s not the wide-eyed assistant anymore—he’s the leader. He’s carrying not just his own faith, but the faith of an entire nation. And just like the rest of them, he’s never been this way before.
God gives him a strange instruction: “When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it.” (v. 3) No battle plan. No blueprint. No step-by-step strategy. Just this—follow My presence.
The ark represented the presence of God. It was the tangible reminder that God was among His people. Wherever the ark went, that’s where God was leading. So when God told Joshua to follow the ark, He was really saying, “Don’t move until you see Me move. When My presence goes, you go.”
That’s the same invitation God gives us today. There are seasons when He leads us into places we’ve never been before—new responsibilities, new opportunities, new levels of trust—and it’s not always comfortable. We love clarity. We love maps. We love knowing how the story ends before we begin. But God rarely hands out detailed directions. Instead, He gives something far better: Himself.
Notice something subtle in verse 4. God tells the people to keep a distance—about a thousand yards—between themselves and the ark. It’s not because He wanted distance from them; it’s because He wanted visibility. He wanted them to see clearly where His presence was leading.
It’s easy to crowd God out with our own plans, our own pace, our own noise. We rush ahead of Him, assuming movement is always progress. But sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is stop and make space for Him to lead. If we move too fast, we lose sight of the very presence meant to guide us.
So God calls for a pause. He lets Israel sit there for three days beside the river, waiting. Imagine that—so close to the promise, yet stuck in the in-between. Waiting feels like weakness, but it’s actually training. It’s where God shapes our attention and teaches us to move with Him, not just for Him.
Then comes the moment. The priests carrying the ark step forward. Their feet touch the edge of the water, and immediately the current stops. The river stands still, and dry ground appears. But don’t miss the detail: the miracle didn’t happen until they moved. The waters didn’t part until their feet got wet.
That’s how faith works. It’s rarely dramatic or instant. It’s often a quiet decision—a steady, trembling step toward obedience. God could have stopped the river before they arrived, but He waited until they stepped in. Because faith isn’t about knowing how everything will unfold; it’s about trusting the One who’s already there.
You can almost hear the rhythm of it: follow My presence, make space for Me to lead, take the step when I move. That’s how God guides us through unfamiliar territory. He doesn’t eliminate the uncertainty; He fills it with Himself.
Maybe for you, that’s exactly where life is right now. You’re standing at the edge of something new. It’s good, but it’s unknown. You can feel the current of change rushing in front of you, and part of you would rather stay on the shore. You’d rather wait until things calm down—until you can see exactly how it will all work out. But God is whispering, “Follow Me. I’ll make the way when you move.”
You don’t need a perfect plan. You need a willing heart. The same God who led Israel through the Jordan is the One who leads you through your own waters today. The river that looks uncrossable to you is nothing more than a pathway to Him.
So take a breath. Slow your pace. Fix your eyes on His presence. You may not know the way, but He does. And as soon as your feet touch the edge, you’ll see that He was already standing in the middle of it all, waiting to lead you safely to the other side.
