… “As soon as you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being carried by the Levitical priests, then you shall set out from your place and follow it. Yet there shall be a distance between you and it, about 2,000 cubits in length. Do not come near it, in order that you may know the way you shall go, for you have not passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4).

The beginning of the book of Joshua tells a story of remarkable transition for the nation of Israel. Moses, leader of the exodus and great prophet who knew the Lord face to face (Deuteronomy 34:10) has passed. Now, Joshua takes his first steps into leadership as God prepares the nation to end their wandering and finally enter the Promised Land.

Chapter 3 begins with the Israelites preparing to cross the Jordan river. Joshua and his officers walk through the camp giving instructions on how they should proceed. In verses 3 and 4, they are told that when they see the Ark of the Covenant pass by, they are to get up and follow (at a distance of about a half mile).

This marks another transition for the Israelites. Until now, the people have been led through the wilderness by the pillars of cloud and fire. Of course, these were manifestations of God leading His people. This time, however, God chose perhaps a less supernatural method albeit still intensely indicative of His presence. Recall that on top of the Ark is the mercy seat. It is where God has designated it as His place of dwelling and meeting. Where they once could plainly see something extraordinary guiding them in the sky, the people must now have faith that the presence of God remains with them and resides on this otherwise ordinary object carried by a few men.

With this faith, the Israelites are to follow their God and his new representative, Joshua, across the Jordan to a place they have never been before. All the while, they have to trust that their God is still with them, even though things look a little bit different now. Have you ever experienced a transition like this? Maybe it was new management that changed the environment of the workplace and you needed to trust that it would still work for the company. Or you were embarking on a new journey of some form, unsure of what the path would look like or how you could be successful but trusting that it’ll come together along the way and work itself out.

Whenever we go through transitions, big or small, it’s important to remember who we choose to follow. Jesus says that he will be with us always. It’s easy to hope for Him to show up in ways that He’s met us before. But when we find ourselves in unfamiliar circumstances, we need to be prepared to meet and follow Him in unfamiliar ways.

Two weeks ago, we learned about different seasons of life through the lens of Ecclesiastes. Have you found yourself in a new and possibly unfamiliar season? Keep your eyes open for God moving in your life. Trust that He is there for you and He might reveal Himself in a way you’ve never seen before.