“When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God carried by the Levitical priests, you must break camp and follow it. But keep a distance of about 1,000 yards between yourselves and the ark. Don’t go near it, so that you can see the way to go, for you haven’t traveled this way before.”
Joshua 3:3-4, HCSB
When is the last time you found yourself in a new place? Maybe it was a move to a new neighborhood in your city. Maybe it was a move to a new state or even a new country. In a new place we often have to learn the quickest route to the office, the best grocery store and the nearest elementary school. For some, moving to a new place may mean learning how to pay the electric bill, figuring out the resident visa requirements and studying the local language.
But maybe your move wasn’t a physical one. Maybe your move was a lifestyle change: Your youngest child moved off to college. You retired or started a new job. Your spouse died — or walked out.
Is your new place causing you to freak?
Like spinning in a circle blindfolded, life changes can cause us to feel off-balance and out of control. We may feel confused and disoriented, as if our head might explode. We might be freaking out.
After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites prepared to cross the Jordan River and move into God’s Promised Land. They were moving into a new place, fraught with promise but also with uncertainty. As they prepared for the move, Joshua gave them wise advice: Position yourselves so you can see the Ark of the Covenant — the place where God’s presence dwells. Otherwise, you might become disoriented; you haven't traveled this way before.
Like the Israelites, the best way to survive the uncertainty of change is to position ourselves to see God. The path you’re on may be new and unfamiliar to you, but He is with you. He will guide you.
Travel light, and follow Him.
#travellight
This week's reading: Deuteronomy 24-34, Psalm 91 and Joshua 1-11.
Post #12: Discovering how to live missionally through a chronological reading of God's Word.
Labels: adversity, age, change, chronological Bible reading, expatriate, Missions, move, moving, TravelLight