HIGHWAY THROUGH THE RIVER! (Joshua 3 and 4)

         1. Joshua was so encouraged after hearing the good report on Jericho, given by his two faithful scouts. Now it was time to move. Early the next morning the whole of Israel journeyed the last little stretch down to the banks of the Jordan River where they pitched camp for the last time in the wilderness. Next stop--the Promised Land!
         2. On the third day Joshua sent his officers throughout the huge camp of more than a million, instructing them: "When you see the priests carrying the Ark of God, move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know the way to go, since you have never been this way before. But keep a distance of one kilometer between you and the Ark. Do not go near it."
         3. And Joshua told the people, "Sanctify yourselves: For tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you." That night the people prayed, searching for strength and faith from the Lord. As of yet they did not know how they would manage to cross that huge swollen river to go into Canaan. It was the season of harvest, and every year at that time the Jordan overflowed its banks until it was about a mile wide!
         4. On the following day Joshua gave the word for the priests to take up the Ark and go out in front of the people. And the Lord said unto Joshua, "This day will I begin to honour thee before all Israel so that they will know that as I was with Moses, so will I be with thee. And thou shalt command the priests that carry the Ark that they should go to the edge of the waters of Jordan and stand still in the river." Then Joshua cried out to the people, saying, "Come ye and hear the Words of the Lord. By this ye shall know that the living God is among you and that He will without fail drive out before you all the people of Canaan who live in the land which ye shall inherit. Behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the Earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you.
         5. "And it shall come to pass as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the Ark shall touch the river Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a wall of water."
         6. Now all the people watched in the distance, waiting with bated breath as the priests approached the river. As of yet the swirling waters rolled on without change, but on they marched until at last they could feel the cool waters rushing around their feet. And at that very moment something wonderfully strange happened!
         7. Incredible as it seemed, the waters began to supernaturally reverse their direction and move upstream against the regular flow! In the distance, a few miles up the river, the waters began to pile up higher and higher as though being held back by a great invisible dam! Meanwhile, below the point where the priests stood, the river flowed down towards the Dead Sea emptying the riverbed. Now this all happened where the Jordan passed by Jericho.
         8. Next, Joshua commanded the priests to walk out to the middle of the dry riverbed and stand firm. Then that tremendous multitude of men, women and children, with their flocks of sheep and herds of cattle and with their great wagons which carried their tents and provisions all began to cross over the Jordan.
         9. Except for the creaking of wagon wheels, and the sounds of animals, all the people crossed over in mute silence, awed by the wonder of what took place right before their eyes. One million people swarmed across that dry riverbed in total defiance of nature, yet feeling so small, dwarfed by the sheer power of their mighty God, Who in a moment had stopped the force of a raging river in order to accomplish His purpose.
         10. Many hours later when all were safe and secure on the other side, the Lord commanded Joshua to send twelve men, one from each tribe, to walk out into the middle of the Jordan where the Ark and its bearers yet stood. Each was to return with a stone from the river, with which they would build a monument at the river's edge. Joshua spoke to the people saying, "This will be for the future, so that when your children ask what it is for, you can tell them, 'It is to remind us that the Jordan stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord went across.'"
         11. And when all was finished, Joshua commanded the priests to leave the riverbed and they came out while all the people watched. "No sooner had they set their feet on the Promised Land than the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and ran at flood level just as before!" Once more the Lord showed His mighty power to save His Own, even by miracles when necessary!
         12. And the age of miracles is not past. God is not dead. In fact, He's not even sick. Do you believe in miracles? They can happen any time, if you have faith in Jesus, and pray.
         13. Prayer is powerful. If you have Jesus, when you pray, things will happen and things will be different. Let's expect a miracle for the glory of God!