by Nancy Blackman
No matter their age, most people agree that they have never lived through events like we are experiencing in the world today. I wish I could tell you that things will go back to normal at the end of April when the “social distancing” guidelines are supposed to be relaxed, but obviously nobody knows what will happen between now and then.
I was thinking about all of this today (and fretting a little) when I remembered a verse in Joshua 3:4 that says, “You have not passed this way before.” The Israelites were getting ready to enter the Promised Land after wandering in the desert for 40 years, and they were nervous because they really didn’t know what to expect. But Joshua told them to look for the Ark of the Covenant (representing the presence of God) which was being carried by the leaders, and then they would know the way that they would need to go.
I believe this is where we are right now. We don’t know where to go or what to do, but we can look to our leaders – our pastors and our government officials – who will lead us. Joshua told the priests to “Take up the ark of the covenant and cross over BEFORE the people.” Our leaders are going before us and they will help us see what we need to do and where to go. They are carrying the presence of God, because God always works through delegated authority.
So listen to your leaders, pray for them, encourage them, and trust that God is working through them to safely lead us where we need to be in this new season!