just one step

"In the winter of wet years the streams ran full-freshet, and they swelled the river until sometimes it raged and boiled, bank full, and then it was a destroyer."                           John Steinbeck, East of Eden

It is no longer snowing here in Ohio; it is raining. And raining. The pretty coat of white has been replaced with gray skies and fog. It would be very romantic as seen in a Jane Austen movie with English countrysides and proper manors. And lush green gardens. They always seem to edit out the continual sound of the rain with the melodies of a string quartet. 

quiet country on a gray day

I love watching flooded rivers flow with the power of the water. They can sweep entire trees down the river as if they were twigs. I remember when I was in elementary school I watched an entire embankment disappear as a wall of water pushed it over, and full grown trees folded in half and washed away in a matter of seconds. It was awe-inspiring, and a bit frightening. I was amazed at the power of the water. As I was driving in the rain today, through flooded roads and muddy driveways, I was reminded of the flood stage at harvest. In Israel. 

local river cresting its banks

fast current

soon to cover the road

both overflows from Echo Lake 

This relatively small river was nearly over the bridge, and the water was moving at a fast pace. I would not dare walk through, or try to swim in a river such as this. It would be risking my life. Yet, when Joshua was asked by the Lord to cross the River Jordan at flood stage, he was obedient. He and half-a-million people walked on dry ground. The Lord commanded Joshua to be strong and courageous. He said, "Do not be terrified. Do not be discouraged." Why? Because if you do as the Lord has said, he will be with you wherever you go. What did the Lord require? Obedience - to everything written in the law. A commitment to his word - for it to be always on our lips, to be ever mindful of what it says, and do everything written in his word. Speak. Remember. Do.

This is a time of new beginnings, new resolutions, new ideas. I am a planner. I am futuristic. I would like to accomplish many things in 2013. As my mind rushes through the year, trying to ensure I have the many months covered with my plans, I hear his voice behind me saying...."This is the way, walk in it." The Lord is asking me to be obedient. The Israelites did not know how they were going to cross the Jordan; they just knew they were going to cross the Jordan. The Lord is asking me not to over-plan: just be obedient. 

What does it take to be obedient? Just one step. The first step. And then the next.

"Now when the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing.....until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground." {Joshua 3:15-17} When we are obedient, the Lord will be with us. Take that step to the water's edge - whatever....or wherever....that might be for you. He is waiting to turn your flood into dry ground.