Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the people, ‘Get your provisions ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you for your own.’”
- Joshua 1:10-11

The entire camp buzzed with the possibility that now, at last, they would cross over into the promised land. Forty years of waiting in the desert might finally come to an end. Today might be the day.

Have you ever felt the air charged with the electricity of anticipation? When we’re standing on the edge of a new adventure, something stirs in our souls. That heady mixture of excitement and anxiety calls out to us, inviting us to take a risk or run away.

Last week we explored Joshua’s struggle to be strong and courageous in the face of a tremendous challenge. Today, we see him embrace the challenge.

Joshua went public with his commitment to the challenge of leading God’s people into the land that had been promised to them. Once he empowered his officers to spread the word, the ball started rolling. For better or worse, something would happen.

And the orders Joshua gave to the officers showed real clarity. What do the people need to do? Get provisions ready. Why? They’re going to a) cross the Jordan here and b) go in and take possession of the land. When? Three days from now. How? The Lord is giving it to them.

Joshua doesn’t answer every question (especially some of those “How?” questions). We can be almost certain that he didn’t know the full mechanics of the operation. But he knew enough to get started.

We all will have times in our lives when the Lord will call us to great adventures. We’ll have crystal-clear but partial clarity. We’ll have to move forward into spaces beyond our control, places we’d only go if the Lord led us there.

Where have you experienced the Lord’s call to adventure? What challenges have you experienced as you’ve tried to step into those adventures?