Wade In the Water

I am not a risk taker. At all. I don't even buy scratch lottery tickets because I don't feel the possible gain worth the $1 or $5 risk.

Yup...not exactly a girl livin' on the edge.

However, I may be living on the edge in another way, and that's probably not a good thing.

I was reading The Circle Maker this morning, and something the author (Mark Batterson) said stopped me in my tracks.

He was talking about the confidence Elijah had that God would answer his prayers. He was so sure God would come through that acted often before he could even see God working. 

He just knew the answer was "yes" before he heard it.

Batterson then went on to talk about the Israelites crossing the Jordan before they could go into the Promised Land. So the Israelites would know God was with them and would accomplish great things for them, He had Joshua tell the priest to carry the Ark of the Covenant ahead of everyone else and walk into the Jordan.

The exact words were, "Tell the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: 'When you reach the edge of the Jordan's waters, go and stand in the river'" (Joshua 3:8).

Sure. That's no big deal, right? Just tell the priests to take the seriously heavy golden ark and go stand in the Jordan river in the middle of the flood season (Joshua 3:15).

If I were Joshua, I would have felt like such an idiot telling people to do something like that, and maybe Joshua did, but he had received a promise from God - so he acted on it.

And as soon as the priests' feet touched the water, the river stopped flowing, and they crossed on dry ground.

So here's the real question - how many miracles am I sitting on the edge of because I won't take the first steps because I might look stupid? How many? One? Three? Five?

I don't know about you, but I know I'd like to witness a miracle or two, and it may just be my own pride keeping me from seeing them.

There are promises I know God has spoken into my life that I feel like I'm just sitting on because I'm too afraid to take the first steps because I haven't seen God step ahead of me first...but what if He's just waiting for me?

What if he's just waiting for me to wade on into the river before He clears the way to the Promised Land?

Let me give you an example...

Recently, I felt very confused about the information I was getting from a couple different directions, and I felt like God was asking me to email my professor about the situation and ask for help.

Yeah, I ignored that. Why would I email someone who knows nothing of me but the assignments I turn in and blast him with my confusion about my life, my mission, and who knows what else?! That's crazy talk!

And yet...I kept hearing the small nudge of the Holy Spirit telling me to do it anyway, and finally, I obeyed.

It was a mess of an email. I barely knew what I was writing; I didn't even know why or what I was asking him for!

His response was such a blessing, though! He met with Josiah and me last Saturday on Skype, giving us a wealth of information, advice, and encouragement that I desperately needed!! (More information about that meeting to come in future blogs).

"For we walk by faith, not by sight."

2 Corinthians 5:7

That's such a simple passage of scripture, one of the first we learn. And yet, it's one of the most difficult to live by, I think...walking by faith.

So today I ask you, what promises are you sitting on the edge of? What has the Spirit moved you to do that you just haven't been able to act on yet because you were waiting for God to move first?

Maybe, just maybe, He's just waiting on you to make the first move.

Be sure to check back in tomorrow for our first "Corinthians 3 Thursday" link up!