Get ready to cross despite the flood

The very place that looks like defeat is the place God intends to give you victory

Trust Maanda
Looking at the Unseen
JOSHUA 1:10-11
Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, [11] Pass through the host, and command the people, saying, Prepare you victuals; for within three days ye shall pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which the Lord your God giveth you to possess it.
Jordan was flooded to the banks, when Joshua gave the command for the people to get ready to cross it.
Joshua 3:15 explains that the river was flooded: “And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harvest,)
Joshua 4:18 further explains that the water, after being parted returned to the banks where it was before Israel crossed it: “And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan, and the soles of the priests’ feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as they did before.
This happened “in the time of harvest” – around March/April. That’s when snow from Mount Hermon melts and the Jordan overflows its banks. It was the worst natural time to cross. The river was out of its normal channel and flooding the surrounding area. It was deep, wide and dangerous. The water didn’t go down first. God waited until the priests’ feet touched the water. Then He “cut off” the water upstream at Adam, and the riverbed became dry ground for Israel to cross on. Joshua 3:16-17.
The flood did not deter Joshua from ordering the people to be ready. Sometimes in life God speaks, and everything around you disagrees. The timing is wrong. That is exactly where Joshua stood. A new leader. A waiting nation. And directly in front of the Promised Land was a river that should not have been crossed — the Jordan, flooded to its banks. God brought them to the river at that time. It looked like if God was an army general, He was a poor one. But God knows what He is doing. He can bring you to a standstill but He had a plan up His sleeve.
God’s instruction was not “wait until it’s convenient.” It was “get ready.” Because faith does not wait for circumstances to change. Faith gets ready, and then watches God change the circumstances.
Across the river they could see Jericho. The promise was visible. But between them and the promise was a gate called Jordan.
God had sworn to Abraham in Genesis 22:17, “Your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies.” The Jordan was not a roadblock. It was an address. It was the gate God intended Israel to possess.
Joshua was a seed of Abraham. So then when he came down to the Jordan, when Joshua was made the commander-in-chief of the army, and they came down to the very edge of the water and could look across and see Jericho. When he came down to the Jordan that morning, the devil had storm clouds hanging everywhere, the muddy waters rolling down, the fields were swept across by a flood. But Joshua said, “Get ready, you’re going to see the glory of God.” They sanctified themselves and got ready when everything seemed to be contrary.
Faith gets ready before the proof comes. You move toward the water because God honours movement.
We all face a Jordan. The medical report says “no hope” and God says “I am the Lord who heals you.”
The business account says “zero” and God says “My God shall supply all your needs.”
The marriage says “it’s over” and God says “I restore and I redeem.”
The application says “rejected” and God says “I have set before you an open door.”
God did not dry the Jordan and then tell Israel to cross. He told them to cross, and then He dried the Jordan. That is how God works. He doesn’t remove the obstacle to prove He is with you. He walks with you into the obstacle to prove He is God.
The very place that looks like defeat is the place God intends to give you victory. The flood is not to destroy you. It is to display Him.
Do not wait for perfect conditions to obey God. Position yourself. What would “getting ready” look like for you this week? A step of faith? Do it now, while the water is still high. God’s promise does not depend on the weather.
The water will part. The gate will open. And you will possess what God swore to give you.