Trusting God

So the people crossed over….

Joshua 3:16

As a child, I enjoyed checking on the cattle with my father. I left our house anticipating an adventure, but I closed my eyes in fear each time he drove his pickup toward two wooden boards—a make-shift bridge across a small creek. Thoughts of what could happen if he missed the boards terrified me.

I wonder about the Israelites’ fears when facing the Jordon River. They had to trust God for crossing a white-capped river to enter the Promised Land. Their ancestors saw God’s power displayed as they crossed the Red Sea on dry land, but most of these travelers had only heard the stories about that miraculous crossing..  

For three days, the Israelites camped along the shores of the flood-stage Jordan River, a mile wide and turbulent with the ice melt from the headwaters. During the day, they watched its waves swollen with debris. At night they slept to the sounds of rushing water.

God asks me to trust Him in both big and small situations, just as He asked the Israelites to trust Him for crossing the river. God’s previous faithfulness in my life plus biblical examples like the crossing of the Jordan fuel my trust in Him for facing new personal challenges. I have learned to trust that He holds me safely in His grip of love—just as He does for everyone who belongs to Him.

Father, remind me of Your faithfulness when that little girl uncertainty transforms into big girl anxiety. Thank You that You will continue to walk with me through each anxious crossing ahead of me as I trust in You. In the name of Your Son, Jesus, who calms rivers and seas, amen.

Linda Lesniewski