Introduction:
I began this series by talking about how God and I are not on the same page when it comes to timing. I am an impatient person who likes everything done now, and our God is an extremely patient God waiting to the last moment to act. And that left me with a question. "Why?"
It was at that point, I felt the Holy Spirit's guidance bring me to some of the last-minute miracles recorded in the Bible, so I can better understand why God moves when He does.
And so far, I have discovered that God can wait to that last minute to work and still be right on time because when He does step in to act on my behalf, He is unstoppable. And last week, I saw that when God does move in my life, He changes everything.
Today, the Holy Spirit takes me back to an Old Testament story about the Israelites to teach me another reason why God can wait to the last second to act and still be a right on time, God. Take your Bibles and turn with me to Joshua 3:7-17.
Scripture
Joshua 3:7-17 (NKJV)
“7 And the LORD said to Joshua, "This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
8 You shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, saying, 'When you have come to the edge of the water of the Jordan, you shall stand in the Jordan.' "
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God."
10 And Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Hivites and the Perizzites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Jebusites:
11 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you into the Jordan.
12 Now therefore, take for yourselves twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one man from every tribe.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."
14 So it was, when the people set out from their camp to cross over the Jordan, with the priests bearing the ark of the covenant before the people,
15 and as those who bore the ark came to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks during the whole time of harvest),
16 that the waters which came down from upstream stood still, and rose in a heap very far away at Adam, the city that is beside Zaretan. So the waters that went down into the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt Sea, failed, and were cut off; and the people crossed over opposite Jericho.
17 Then the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the people had crossed completely over the Jordan.”
Background Information
The Jordan River stands between the Israelites and the Promised Land. In life, there will always be obstacles that stand between where you are and where you want to be. You may desire to have a particular job, but maybe lack of expertise stands in the way. You may long to retire, but financial resources going forward prevent you from coming home.
The Israelites obstacle was the Jordan River. When they looked out at the Jordan, they saw a river that filled its banks. They could see no low water crossing. They knew that they could not go around it, because it was 150 miles long. And there were no bridges to go over it. And what is surprising is that God has guided the Israelites through the wilderness to this particular spot, and now God says: “it is time to cross the Jordan.”
So, what is the lesson of this last-minute miracle?
POINT #1
SOMETIMES I NEED A LAST-MINUTE MIRACLE BECAUSE I GOT MYSELF IN A MESS; SOMETIMES, I NEED A LAST-MINUTE MIRACLE BECAUSE GOD BROUGHT ME TO THE PLACE THAT I NEED ONE.
I don’t need much help to get myself in a mess; I seem to be able to do an excellent job of it. And it is at those times, that I need God to intervene and do a last-minute miracle to make things right. The Apostle Peter was a master at getting himself in a mess and needing that touch from God. Peter, one time, asked Jesus if he could come to Jesus on the water. And the Bible says Peter seeing the wind began to become afraid and began to sink. Jesus reached out His hand as a last-minute miracle. Another time, Jesus was about to be arrested, and Peter took out his sword and cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servants. Jesus had to rescue Peter from that situation by restoring the servant’s ear in a last-minute miracle.
If I went through this room, I am sure that each one of us can describe a time or two where you have gotten yourself in a real mess and unless God did a last-minute miracle you don’t know how you would have made it.
But there are times that God brings you to a place in your life where you need a last-minute miracle. And that certainly was the case with the Israelites. The Bible tells us in Exodus 13:21 (NKJV)
21 And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so as to go by day and night.
So the Israelites got to this place, not by their own doing but directly by the leading of God. God took them to the exact spot where they needed a miracle. And there are times that God does that in our lives. So today, you may be at a place, where you need a last-minute miracle because of your own doing or because God brought you there.
Point #2
IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR LAST-MINUTE MIRACLE, DON’T FOCUS ON YOUR MESS RATHER FOCUS ON YOUR GOD WHO CAN CLEAN UP THE MESS.
9 So Joshua said to the children of Israel, "Come here, and hear the words of the LORD your God."
Joshua could have gathered the children of Israel and said, let’s talk about our mess. Does anyone know how deep the Jordan is supposed to be? Or has anyone heard any reports on how solid the bottom is? Has any of you been down to the Jordan to check how cold it is or how fast the current is running?
Joshua doesn’t do that. He doesn’t talk about the mess that the Israelites find themselves in. He talks about the greatest of His God and what His God is going to. God is going to give the children the Israelites victory over their enemies on the other side. And oh, by the way, God has got a plan as to how we will get cross the Jordan.
Joshua focus is not on the mess; instead, his focus is on his God. And we would do well to learn that lesson.
So we don’t need to spend all our waking days talking about our mess; we need to learn the lesson of Joshua and talk about our God who can see us through our difficulty.
POINT #3
IF YOU WANT TO SEE YOUR LAST-MINUTE MIRACLE, SOMETIMES GOD WILL TELL YOU TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP IN FAITH BEFORE HE TAKES OVER AND BRINGS YOU VICTORY OVER YOUR MESS.
13 And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap."
In the first last-minute miracles we studied, Peter was asleep when God performed the miracle of loosening Peter‘s chains, opening the prison gates and allowing Peter to walk out a free man. He had to do nothing for God to perform that last-minute miracle.
In the second last-minute miracle, we looked at, the widow’s son was dead and carried out of the city to his burial, so there was nothing that he could do to receive his miracle.
But today’s last-minute miracle, the priest had to make one step in the Jordan for the Lord to pile up the waters into a heap.
What do you think would have happened, if the priest said we’ll wait at the edge of the banks until God piles up the water and then we will step in the Jordan? I believe that they would be still waiting for their miracle.
If you are waiting for a last-minute miracle from God, you need to search your heart to see if God is asking you to take the first step before He does your miracle. What could be that first step for you? For some of us, it may be offering forgiveness and reconciliation with someone we have had a feud with for a while. Maybe God is telling you that you need to let go of your anger and resentment. Sometimes that first step is to be quiet and still and wait on the Lord. Perhaps the first step is admitting you are not always right. Maybe that first step is making yourself vulnerable.
