This Morning’s Contemplation: Joshua 3–4

I have read and written about Joshua 3 and 4 before, often sensing that I, too, have been standing at the edge of the Jordan for some time. Yet this morning, I noticed more.

At last, the wandering Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land, only to face a raging, flood-stage Jordan River. Joshua has assumed leadership after Moses, and he listens carefully to the Lord. At God’s direction, the Levitical priests step into the river carrying the Ark of the Covenant; remaining there as nearly two million people pass safely by. They must have been utterly exhausted by the time the crossing was complete. I have always imagined towering walls of water pressing in on the people, intimidating those who had only heard stories of the Red Sea. But, two details stand out to me today.

First, God stopped the waters far upstream, out of sight. The people could not see the violent current piling up against an invisible wall. God removed the terror of being swept away if something went wrong. When God calls us to cross our Jordans, He brings a peace that surpasses understanding—even when we know the waters could destroy us in a moment. For leaders, this peace is essential. How can we lead others into unfamiliar and overwhelming territory if we ourselves are consumed by fear? Joshua modeled trust by following behind the priests, allowing his actions to communicate God’s peace more powerfully than words. He moved neither too early nor too late. Joshua, demonstrating sensitivity to the Spirit’s timing, he obeyed God’s instructions without adding his own emotions—unlike Moses, who struck the rock rather than speaking to it. Four priests bore the weight of the Ark without dropping or touching it, reminding us that while leadership is heavy, Christ’s yoke remains light when we trust Him.

Second, God instructed Joshua to build a monument—not merely a tribute, but a marker of memory and transformation. One man from each tribe returned to the dry riverbed, to the very place where God’s presence had held back the waters, and carried out a stone. These men went back into what had represented fear, danger, and death to retrieve tangible reminders of God’s power. The stones came from ground where two million people had walked in peace, worship, and awe, moving through their own “valley of the shadow of death.”

These monuments were meant to remind God’s people of His faithfulness—not only in victory, but in moments of defeat. We, too, are called to lead people through dark places: addiction, abuse, disbelief, spiritual confusion, and deep pain. We are chosen to lead specific people at specific times, not by our own strength, but by listening and acting as God directs. Sometimes He may call us to walk back into hard places to bring out living monuments—people who entered one way and emerged transformed.

My prayer is that we draw from Joshua 3 and 4 in our ministries: walking in God’s peace and timing, trusting the authority He has given us, allowing the Holy Spirit to work without interference from fear or emotion, and remembering His deliverance when we are weary. May we look to the monuments of God's grace rather than imagining the waters about to collapse.