Expect God to Move

God had brought the people to the edge of the Promised Land.  He moved Joshua into a position of leadership after Moses died.  They were preparing to take the land, but God had to prepare them first.

In Joshua 3-4, God shows some important elements concerning expecting God to move.

They had to cross the Jordan river to get to where they needed to go, and God wanted them to experience a miracle like the generation before them.

God wanted them to have confidence in him and his works in the past as a catalyst for hope concerning his work in the future.

Notes

  1. Rise early, wait for the presence of the LORD, and follow him where he leads (Joshua 3:1-4).
  2. “Consecrate” (Josh. 3:5) means holy, turning towards God both externally and internally.
  3. They must prepare themselves to behold what God prepared for them.
  4. How often do we anticipate the move of God?  Do we prepare to meet with him anymore?
  5. Do we expect God to move?
  6. God wanted the people to have the same confidence in Joshua as they did in Moses (Josh. 3:7).
  7. The leaders had to get their feet wet before the followers could walk on the dry ground (Josh. 3:8, 13, 17).
  8. This generation only knew the legend of the dry walk through the Red Sea.  They needed to experience something like it themselves.
  9. I desire to know more than just stories of God’s mighty acts.
  10. Leaders had to step out in faith before followers stepped out in obedience (Josh. 3:15-17).
  11. The people walked through the waters, but the Messiah would walk upon them (Mark 6:45-52).
  12. They walked by the presence of the LORD just to remind them they couldn’t do anything on their own.
  13. After God did the miraculous, they paused to celebrate and to ensure this would be remembered for generations to come.
  14. There is great value in memorials.
  15. These memorial stones of the Jordan River were meant to remind the people of God’s faithfulness throughout generations.  The rocks were intended to tell a story and cause questions to be asked.
  16. Don’t let the professionals do the parents’ job – parents tell your children the glorious works of the LORD (Josh. 4:21-23).
  17. If we don’t speak, these rocks will cry out (cf. Luke 19:40).
  18. There’s a good chance these memorial stones were seen by Elijah and Elisha at a needed time (2 Kings 2:8).
  19. God’s work in our lives should be passed on to our children and proclaimed to the nations (Josh. 4:21-24).