Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.
—Joshua 3:17, NLT
Joshua 3 recounts the entry of the Children of Israel into The Promised Land. While the people still had to claim the land through war, it was already promised to them by (as verse 11 states) the Lord of the Whole Earth. As such, the miraculous entry into the land sets a great precedent for God's dealings with His people.
He Goes Before Us
...the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant went ahead of them.Would the Lord put us in a situation that He would never go into Himself? No. He leads from the front lines. If the Lord expects you to get your feet wet, you know His feet are already wet. If He expects you to speak out, He has already given you the words. If He has asked for your blood, sweat and tears, know that He has already shed His own.
—Joshua 3:14b
The Lord Jesus is our Great High Priest who has paved the way for us already. This does not mean the road is easy, it only means He understands what we are going through because He has been there already. You are no greater than your master.
He Goes Through With Us
Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by...Everyone knows the poem about the footprints in the sand. (If you don't know the poem, do yourself a favor and Google it) It makes the point that we see here in the first part of Joshua 3:17: God's going to be with you in the midst of the storm. And when we look back on the times in our life that we felt alone, we will realize that The Lord was ever present with us.
—Joshua 3:17a
Sometimes it helps to just have someone there with us while we endure hardship. We don't always need a hero to take us out of a situation. God puts us through ordeals in order to refine our character and He always remains by our side. That's what it means when we say that God sees things through to completion—He is actively invested in shaping the outcome.
He Got Your Back
...They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.
—Joshua 3:17b
Not only does God lead the charge and stay with us in the middle of trouble, but He also brings about closure to our ordeals. As I have insisted this entire blog post, He is there for us from beginning to the end. He leads the charge, He gives strength to endure and finally brings about victory. That is a major theme of scripture. It is also evident in our lives.
The rear guard also implies protection from the rear. While events in life (trips to the ER, financial struggles, bouts with depression, automobile failure) take us by surprise, nothing catches the Almighty off-guard. Tragedy may sneak up on us, but God is ready for anything and has your protection in mind.
Conclusion
I know this post has a significantly different feel from what I have tried to create here on WToHT. Looking back on it, I see that there is a lot of faith and not much reason, teaching or explaining. I'm OK with that. The Bible is a book of faith.I pray that this post reaches someone who needs to know that God is there for them. And if God is for you, who could possibly stand against you? Nobody, that's who can stand against you; particularly knowing that He goes before you, He stands with you and He's got your back. He did all this to show the Children of Israel His commitment to bring them into the Promised Land.
Believer, realize that the Lord has made several promises to you. He intends to see them through with the same determination that he afforded to the Israelites in Joshua 3.
