New Direction

“…that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4)

At this point in the history of God’s people, they were about to cross the Jordan on their journey to the Promised Land. They were about to enter a place where they had never been before. How do we feel about taking a new direction? Do we find it exciting or daunting? Change is challenging. In the spiritual life, there is territory not yet discovered. There are areas yet to be experienced and explored. The unknown either frightens us or excites us. But when God goes before us, we can be confident. The Bible offers practical insights into life-guiding principles.

God’s people faced an unknown situation in this story. Here are some pointers for facing uncertainty. First, we should face it with calmness. We do not always know the direction to take, and so we must be guided by God. If God has given us clear direction, then we can be peaceful about it. Alexander Maclaren said, ‘Peace comes not from the absence of trouble but from the presence of God.’ Second, we can face new directions compliantly. There is great peace in submitting to God’s will and ways.

Third, we can face the unknown future confidently. People are not like hothouse flowers, nurtured in an even temperature and sheltered from wind and rain. We are more like an outdoor species, meant to thrive in the ever-changing weather conditions of the world. Although the way is new to us, it is not new to God. It holds no terrors for him. Fourth, we can face the unknown cheerfully by trusting the Lord. Someone said that

‘Happiness is the art of making a bouquet of those flowers within reach.’