Early the next morning Joshua and all the Israelites left Acacia Grove and arrived at the banks of the Jordan River, where they camped before crossing. Three days later the Israelite officers went through the camp, giving these instructions to the people: “When you see the Levitical priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God, move out from your positions and follow them. Since you have never traveled this way before, they will guide you.
Joshua 3:1-4 (NLT)
When you are traveling somewhere you’ve never been before or you are in unfamiliar surroundings, one of the greatest gifts you could have is an experienced guide. Someone you can trust who knows the way.
Last January, I was part of a group from Journey Church that traveled to South Africa to work with Blessman Ministries, one of our mission partners. One of the things we got to do on our trip was to go on a photo safari. It was an amazing experience seeing zebra, giraffes, rhinos, elephants, and lions in the wild. At one point on our safari, our guide stopped the vehicle and showed us some really big lion prints in the dirt road we were traveling on. The tracks were headed one way, so our guide took us the other way.
I couldn’t imagine wandering around that area by myself with no idea where I was going or what was out there. Maybe you’ve felt that way at times in your life. When you moved to a new city, started at a new school, or tried to figure out how to be married as a newlywed. I have experienced many, “What am I doing here?!” moments in my life.
That’s probably how Israel felt when they were getting ready to go to the Promised Land, a place God was giving them so they could live and grow there. There were only two problems: One – people already lived in that land and weren’t interested in leaving. Two – no one in Israel’s travel party had been there before. They didn’t know where they were going. So, God told them (through Joshua) to follow Him. They were supposed to wait for the Ark, which represented God’s presence, to go in front of them and follow it. They had no idea where to go and God’s solution was to lead them. GOD became their GPS. And it worked!
Here’s the great news. Wherever your life takes you and whatever path you have to walk, God has already been there and He will lead you. You just have to choose to follow His path and not the best one you can come up with. You haven’t traveled this way before, let Him guide you.
When you are facing uncertain circumstances in life, where do you look for direction? Who or what do you follow?