“When you see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before” (Joshua 3:3b-4a).
As Joshua gathered the people of Israel on the wilderness side of the Jordan River he gave them instructions about the future. He told them to follow the ark of the covenant. The reason was clear. “You have never been this way before.” There are things about the future we don’t know. We don’t know the specific details about tomorrow. There is excitement in facing the unknown details of the future but it is important to face them with the presence of God.
There are also things about the future we do know. We know the God who has been with us to this point and we know that He will never fail us. We may have new problems to face, but we have with us the God who gave Israel manna every day and brought water out of a rock in the desert. We have the Master of the universe walking with us twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.
We also know our past experiences. From our failures, we have learned that we are never so mature that we don’t need to depend on God’s grace for each day. We’ve also seen that His grace is enough. G. Campbell Morgan said: “The one thing no man can take away from me as I face tomorrow is yesterday. You may confuse me about the problem of next year, but you cannot confuse me about the solutions of last year.”
God didn’t fail us last year and He won’t fail us this year. The children of Israel stepped into the dry riverbed with confidence, crossed over the Jordan and took possession of the land God promised them. Like them, we can possess His promises next year. We may not know the details of our tomorrow but we know our God and our futures are secure in His hands.
