Faith in action.

     We are given a wonderful example of how faith works in Joshua chapter three. The nation of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for forty years, and now under the leadership of Joshua, the younger generation was about to enter the promised land. What lay between Israel and the promised land however was the Jordan river. Under normal circumstances it would have been easy to cross, but at this time of year it was at flood stage. This made it very difficult, and I am sure that if there could have been another way the people would have tried that instead!
     The Lord however, told Joshua to tell the priests to go stand in the river, and when they did so the water would be cut off and the people could pass over to the other side. This would have taken faith to accomplish, as not only did the priests have to step into a flooded river, but they also had to carry the ark of the covenant with them! As they stepped in, they would have to be very careful, not only did they not want to drop the ark into the water, but they also had to be careful not to even touch the ark itself! That must have place a lot of pressure on them!
     They did as Joshua commanded them, and true to the word of the Lord, the waters were held back as the priests stood in the river and the people crossed over. This stands in sharp contrast to the refusal of the earlier generation in the days of Moses, who out of fear of the inhabitants of the land, refused to go in and take posession. What it came down to was faith in God. The first generation heard what God had said, but did not believe Him, and as a result did not obey Him. They paid a huge price. They wandered in the wilderness until they passed away, never entering the land promised to them. When the time came for their children to enter, they were once again given the opportunity to trust and obey. This time they believed God, even when it looked impossible, and entered in.
     The bible tells us that a true faith will work itself out in how we live. If we hear what God says, and believe it, we will act upon it. Like Peter walking on the water, we need to place our eyes upon Christ, and not on the storms around us. Take God at His word and follow Him!