The Lord's Call, Then And Now
I have often wondered what was going through Joshua's mind as he stood at the edge of the swollen, raging waters of the Jordan River looking at the Promised Land. The path to the promise would was not around the chaotic torrent, but through! And God was calling Joshua to lead the people, bearing the Ark of the Covenant, the very symbol of the presence of God in their community, in a step of faith right into that water.
The call of God was clear and unambiguous; "Moses my servant is dead! Now then you..." Ready or not, Joshua had been selected by God to lead. But in many ways this was Moses' community. That great leader had shaped them for decades. He listened to God, interpreted the mission and directed the journey. God had worked miracles in and through Moses. And despite some missteps along the way, Moses led well, and the mission was headed in exactly the right direction. Joshua must have felt uncertain, ill prepared, maybe even unfit for what lay ahead.
