Joshua said to the priests, “Take up the ark of the covenant and pass on ahead of the people.” So they took it up. (Josh. 3:6)
Our church campgrounds are composed mostly of rocks and exposed tree roots, with a little dirt here and there. My new knee replacements remind me more than ever that I need to take every step very carefully, looking ahead, lest I fall.
As God was preparing Joshua to lead the Israelites, God’s chosen, into the promised land, he wanted the ark of the covenant to lead the people because it held the Ten Commandments God had given to Moses, as a representation of God himself. The covenant was God’s promise of good for the Israelites for generations to come, if they obeyed him and his laws. The people were to consecrate or rededicate themselves before they left for the promised land, in preparation to be used by God for whatever purposes he ordained.
You and I need to be obedient to God—doing things according to his directives—in order to receive his blessing and be used for his kingdom. Daily reading his Word and spending time in prayer before taking each step will make our walk purposeful and useful to him.
If God goes before us, directing each step, we will not fall.
Blessing will come to those who follow God!
Ann Shadduck is a retired, at-risk-student teacher and evangelical Christian.
© 2020 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
