“Then Joshua said to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow the LORD will do great wonders among you.'” (Joshua 3:5 NLT)
How do you respond when life suddenly throws an obstacle in your path? We know moving forward requires faith, but fear and feelings can easily get in the way. Joshua shows us the kind of faith we need—faith that sees beyond the problem to the only One who can make a pathway through it.
Israel stood on the banks of the Jordan River—the wilderness behind them and the Promised Land before them. But the river was at flood stage. Humanly speaking, there was no way across. Yet Joshua had complete confidence in God’s ability to overcome the obstacle. He also knew that God’s people needed purified hearts before they could move forward with the same confidence in the LORD.
Sometimes, we pray about a problem with either panic or presumption and then wonder why God hasn’t acted. In reality, we’re often the ones not ready. We tend to focus on the problem instead of our problem-solving God. Faith that sees beyond the problem begins with purification. That means separating yourself from sin, distractions, and competing loyalties, while fully surrendering to God’s will.
When your heart is fixed on God, you’ll recognize when and where He is at work. That’s because a purified heart sensitizes you to the leading of the Holy Spirit. It enables you to know when to move forward and when to wait. But when impurities remain, they can dull your spiritual sensitivity and keep you from recognizing God’s voice and direction.
What obstacle in your life seems impossible to overcome? If you want the same kind of faith Joshua had, then stop focusing on the problem and focus on the LORD. Be willing to ask: What area of my life needs to be purified? When your heart is surrendered to God, you’ll discover that the greatest obstacle was never the river before you—it was whether you were willing to trust the God who could part it.
