Broader Borders

November 14, 2020

Joshua 1:1-10 1 After Moses, the servant of the Lord, had died, the Lord said to Moses’ aide Joshua, son of Nun: 2 Moses my servant is dead. So now, you and the whole people with you, prepare to cross the Jordan to the land that I will give the Israelites. 3 Every place where you set foot I have given you, as I promised Moses. 4  All the land of the Hittites, from the wilderness and the Lebanon east to the great river Euphrates and west to the Great Sea, will be your territory. 5 No one can withstand you as long as you live. As I was with Moses, I will be with you: I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and steadfast, so that you may give this people possession of the land I swore to their ancestors that I would give them. 7 Only be strong and steadfast, being careful to observe the entire law which Moses my servant enjoined on you. Do not swerve from it either to the right or to the left, that you may succeed wherever you go. 8 Do not let this book of the law depart from your lips. Recite it by day and by night, that you may carefully observe all that is written in it; then you will attain your goal; then you will succeed. 9 I command you: be strong and steadfast! Do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.

10 So Joshua commanded the officers of the people: 11 “Go through the camp and command the people, ‘Prepare your provisions, for three days from now you shall cross the Jordan here, to march in and possess the land the Lord, your God, is giving as your possession.’”

God had prepared a land for His people. It had always been prepared. It was there during centuries of enslavement in Egypt. It was there during decades of wilderness wandering. It was there during the murmuring and complaining and unbelief. The land was even there during the reckless worshipping of a golden calf created in the chaos of discontent, pride , and rebellion. God's boundaries for His people had been established since always.

Acts 17:26-27 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.

Our boundaries are as in place as the Israelite's. They have been established by the One in whom all things are held together. We can trust the borders of our lives that have been ordered by Love Himself. Perhaps we do not feel comfortable in our "land." There are seasons where we may wish we were somewhere else. The wilderness is not a fun place. We'd rather know where we were headed and know how to get there, and, usually, get there quickly. When there is delay our current borders can seem confining. When we are living within the boundaries that someone else has created for us, it can feel constricting. This is when we can lean hard into Adonai and give Him His reign over our lives and trust our place. Here. Now. Until He decides to change our "here." When He is ready for us to cross over to a new "here" He will make it known to us as He did to Joshua. No, He may not always show us the exact destination, but He will give us as much as we need to be able to follow Him and cross over to the where He has prepared for us. How can we make the transition to broader borders easier? Let's do as Joshua was instructed; be strong and courageous. Do not swerve away from His word. Jehovah Nissi has assured us success as He gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Expect Him to enlarge your territory and give you broader borders.