GOD’S WONDERS

“And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you”– Joshua 3:5

It is a delightful privilege to access the last month of the Year on the note of GOD’S WONDERS: “And Joshua said to the people, “Sanctify yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do WONDERS among you” (Jos.3:5). God has graciously shared with us gems concerning His Words, His Ways, and His Works. He’ll do wonders among us the remainder of this year, in Jesus name! Wonder means amazement, awe, marvel, and astonishing; one looks so critically but cannot believe the eyes. We serve the God of wonders. All about Him is wonderful. His glorious and wonderful works are everywhere! The Bible is replete with accounts of great acts and mighty deeds God performed for His people. When we diligently meditate in order to catch the revelation of God’s Wonders in His Word and in the world, we’ll see life in a whole new light!

Israel came to the brink of a dream, to the place where their forefathers blew it! This time, there must be no error. Yet, the Jordan was a defiantly impassable barrier, especially at the harvest season, when the river “overflows all its banks” (v.15b). The gentle Jordan was now a raging river, swelled to flood stage. Moreover, the plain surrounding the river was packed with dense undergrowth – “the floodplain of the Jordan” (Jer.12:5). This was the sight that greeted the people who pitched their tents alongside the river; and for three days the torrent eroded all confidence. But the God wonders showed up! He’ll show up in our “personal Jordans” that look so menacingly permanent as to want to stagnate and stall us in life’s wilderness.

Joshua instructed the people to prepare in advance for the manifestation of God’s Wonders. To “sanctify” or “consecrate” means, “to be set apart; to prepare for a holy purpose; to dedicate; to purify; to be kept as holy.” It’s the same word used to describe the keeping of the Sabbath, dedication of the temple, and the ritual cleansing priests would undertake in order to be able to perform their duties. They were to dedicate themselves to God’s Ways, Purposes, and Will, because the next day He was going to do amazing things for and through them! God is asking us to prepare our hearts daily, set ourselves apart, and dedicate ourselves to Christ Jesus and His Ways, because He wants to do great wonders in and through us!

Paul gave a similar instruction: “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God” (2Cor.7:1). Although sanctification is an inward process of the Holy Spirit, our role is to seek after Him daily through devotion to His Word, prayer, and intentionally drawing near to God and the things of God, while fleeing from sin and the things of this world. God can handle every humanly impossible situation. What is impossible with men is possible with God (Lk.18:27). When we prepare ourselves by aligning our hearts to Him daily, ready to walk by faith rather than sight, He will do amazing, wondrous, miraculous things in and through us!

Here are four steps to take to move from grounded to grateful, from marooned in the past to marvelling at God’s divinely-designed future: Follow God’s movements (vv.2-4); consecrate yourself (v.5-6); step out in Faith and stand still in Trust (vv.7-13). All the people had their eyes on the Ark, positioned on the shoulders of the priests who were wading through the river. Everyone was ready, clean in heart and spiritually alert, watching for God’s Wonders – that which only God could do! So stupendous was this event in the mind of Israel that Psalm 114:3-7 records it!

The God of Wonders can turn a “no way” into a highway! When a Jordan stretches before us and the challenges appear too much, we must believe that nothing is too difficult for God. We must focus our souls on Christ, follow Him, cast out all sin and set ourselves apart to Him, and be ready to move with His work and His wonders!