Camping Out or Crossing Over

Hadley Baker

Read Joshua 3:1-4

“All the Israelites went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over…”

For more than 400 years the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt. God used Moses to deliver them from captivity, promising to take them to a “good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8).” Upon their exodus from Egypt, the Israelites would spend 40 years in the desert. One generation died off and another rose up. Joshua became the new Moses, leading this covenant people to their promised land.

When we enter the story in the third chapter of Joshua the nation of Israel is camping beside the Jordan River. Their promised land is on the other side. They have a choice to make—camp out or cross over? Stick with what’s familiar or journey into the unknown? Play it safe or step out in faith?

In our spiritual journey we will have those “Jordan River” moments. God will bring us to the edge of big things. We have a choice to make—camp out or cross over? Do we desire business as usual or something we have never seen before? Seeing God do big things requires us doing big things. So what is God calling you to do?