Cold Feet?

Have you ever noticed that the Bible is a book of previews. God is constantly showing us and telling us what He is doing and planning to do in the future. The most obvious example is Jesus. The first preview came in the Garden of Eden when God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve. Then came the image of the serpent lifted up on the staff for the Israelites to look upon to be saved. Later Jonah spent three days in the belly of a great fish. David and Isaiah wrote of the sufferings of the messiah on the cross. Actually there are over 300 references in the Old Testament to Christ and his life. God gives us plenty of warning and plenty of time to learn. King David spent his youth protecting the flocks from wolves, lions and bears. It was all good training for his encounter with Goliath. The Children of Israel were being prepared for what God was GOING to do by what he was doing. One example was the crossing of the Red Sea when they fled Egypt. The Egyptian army was pushing in behind them and the sea blocked any chance of escape. Moses lifted up his staff and the waters parted and they walked across on dry land. It must have been really scary to do it, but the other choice was certain death at the hands of the Egyptian soldiers who held the Jews personally responsible for all the destruction and death of the plagues. They fled to the safety of the far shore and watched there enemies be destroyed in the surge of water. Forty years later the memory of this event must have encouraged them to step out into the swollen Jordan river:
Andrew Murray recounts that day: “You remember that the Jordan at the time of harvest overflowed its banks. The hundreds of thousands of Israel were on the side of the river from Canaan. They were told that tomorrow, God would do wonderful things for them. The trumpet would sound, and the priests would take up the ark—the symbol of God’s presence—and pass over before the people. But there lay the swollen river still. If there still unbelieving children among the people, they would say, “What fools, to attempt to cross now! This is not the time to attempt fording the river, for it is now twenty feet deep.” But the believing people gathered together behind the priests with the ark. They obeyed the command of Joshua to advance; but they knew not what God was going to do. The priests walked right into the water, and the hearts of some began to tremble. They would perhaps ask, “Where is the rod of Moses?” But, as the priests walked straight on and stepped into the water, the waters rose up on the upper side in to a high wall, and flowed away on the other side, and a clear passage was made for the whole camp. Now, it was God that did this for the people; and it was because Joshua and the people believed and obeyed God. The same God will do it today, if we believe and trust Him.”
Do you realize that God has already shown you what He is going to do in your situation today? Think back. Sometime in the past you asked something of God, shared what looked like an insurmountable need…and God brought you through. This time it may even seem more impossible but remember this: When you are learning to trust God, DON’T BE AFRAID TO GET YOUR FEET WET!