qadash

'Then Joshua said to the people,

"Consecrate yourselves, 

for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you."'

Joshua 3:5

The Holy Spirit stopped me in my reading this morning on this verse. At first I began to read right over it, but God pulled me back. I am not sure why, but I will share with you what God spoke to my heart. 

The original Hebrew word, qadash, means "to be pure, clean, set apart, prepared". As Joshua spoke to his people, they were preparing to take over the Promised Land. This was not without risk, at least according to human standards, and was a great act of faith. The land was already inhabited and you can be sure the people were not going to just stand by and allow their land to be claimed by another. But, God had commanded them to go and had promised the land to them. He promised His faithfulness. He promised His presence (Joshua 1: 2-9). Now it was time to either trust and move forward forward or to doubt, turn tail and run. Joshua, their leader, knew what they had to do and this required complete consecration and readiness. 

What is it that lay before you this Lord's day? This Christmas week? This coming year? Truthfully, the unknown is as intimidating as the known at times. No doubt the Israelites were experiencing this. They had heard the promises of God, they had experienced the power, protection and providence of God, yet their hearts were still inclined to doubt and fear. That is humanity. No doubt that as Joshua challenged them to consecrate themselves, they spent some time remembering the faithfulness of God in the past and surrendering their fear of the future. 

May you take the time today to consecrate yourself before God. Confess your humanity, accept His deity; surrender your inadequacy, accept His sufficiency; release your doubt and remember His faithfulness. Prepare yourself, for He can and will do great things in and through your life today if only you will be willing. 

Blessings to you as we journey together.

<><tce