Monday meditation: Just one step. It’s all—and everything—we can do
God’s work in this world is usually a two-part process:
(1) What we must do, and
(2) what he will do.
Step One may seem too big or too difficult for us. But again and again, we see that what we must do is nothing compared with the power and possibilities in Step Two.
As you read today’s story, for example, ask yourself, “Who was responsible for halting the flow of the Jordan so the people could cross on dry ground?”
The obvious answer is, “God. Rivers don’t just stop in the middle without some manmade dam or supernatural barrier.” And that answer would be correct, so let’s ask another.
“Would the water have stopped flowing if the priests had not obeyed God’s command and stepped into the water?”
Again, the answer is simple, but not necessarily easy: “No.”
God did it all—almost
Man’s part was to take those steps off dry ground and into the deep. God did everything else.
It had been the same a generation before when the escaping Israelites faced the Red Sea with the Egyptian army close on their heels. Only when Moses believed God and raised his hand in obedience to God’s command did the waters part for the Israelites to pass.
Or consider Mary’s shock when she was confronted by an angel with the message that she was to bear the Son of God. This was all God’s doing, for sure, except for one tiny detail. Mary needed to agree. And she did.
Mary said yes, but sometimes man’s part is to say no. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego said no to a pagan king demanding their worship. Daniel said no when the authorities told him not to pray. The rescue in each case came only after the believers obeyed.
Joseph said no to Potiphar’s wife. Peter said no to the Jews who had jailed him. In both cases, God changed history after his follower was faithful in one crucial moment.
What’s next?
So what step is God waiting for us to take this week? What power or insight or help is he ready to unleash, once he’s seen our willingness to obey him? What is God asking each of us to do?
Maybe we need to recommit to a Bible-reading plan or keep a simple written list of prayer requests. Maybe we need to own up to just one sin in our lives and get a friend’s help in turning away from it. Maybe we need to discard pride or self-absorption. Maybe we need just to do the next right thing, and then do it again. Maybe we need to pray with all the conviction we can find, “Show me what to do Lord, or what to think, or how to feel. Whatever it is, I’ll obey.”
Our journey is not only unchosen. So often it’s also uneasy, unsatisfying, or unpredictable; some days it seems unbearable.
God is willing to bless us along the way. But he needs us to take the next step, likely just one small step, toward obedience.
Read: Joshua 3
Pray: Sometimes we know what you want us to do, Lord, and we’re too tired or afraid to obey it. But sometimes we just can’t figure out what our next step should be. Help me, Lord, to see your will and then to muster the resolve to follow through.
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