Read:Joshua 3 (Part 1) 

The children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land. But they had a big problem in front of them. How were they going to cross the Jordan River? This wasn’t just a small stream that they could wade through, but it was a large river that was overflowing its banks. For three days they were camped on the banks of the river, waiting to see what would happen next. No doubt they would have spent a lot of this time wondering how they were going to get across that river.

But before they could move, they were first instructed by the Lord to sanctify or consecrate themselves. This meant that they had to make themselves ready to follow the Lord’s instructions. They had to be holy. That’s what the word “sanctify” means. It means “to make yourself holy.” It means that they had to focus on the Lord and what he was doing. They had to prepare their hearts to listen to the Lord. They didn’t know how they were going to cross the Jordan River, but that didn’t matter. What did matter, was making their hearts ready to listen to and obey the Lord. They had to use their time to make sure they were ready to follow God. Only after their hearts were ready to listen to the Lord would the Lord give them the next instruction.

What about you? Do you ever have times in your life that you aren’t sure how things are going to work out? How are you going to get through your schoolwork? How are you going to find new friends in a new area? How are you going to cope if you get sick? There will be many more “how” questions you may be struggling with.

But before you do anything to try and find the answers, consecrate your heart. Make sure you are ready to listen to the Lord. Focus on him and what he wants you to do. Spend time reading your Bible and praying. Only then will you be able to obey the Lord.

What did the children of Israel have to do before they could cross the Jordan River? Why?

Reflection with your child:

Source: Sermon by Rev. R. Vermeulen