“Get to Gilgal” by Suzanne Matthews
On the tenth day of the first month the people went up from the Jordan and camped at Gilgal on the eastern border of Jericho.
(Joshua 4: 19 NIV)
In Joshua 3 we find one of the most amazing stories in all of Scripture – Joshua leading the Israelites to cross the flooded Jordan River and enter the Promised Land. It takes two chapters to spell out the instructions regarding crossing, but the actual miracle is summed up in one verse, Joshua 3: 17: The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. As simple as that, 2 million people crossed right over into the Promised Land!
And so it is with us. We walk in a new house, or new office, down the aisle, step off the plane, come home from a funeral, unpack the last box at college, look at the home pregnancy test, get a phone call, make a phone call, say the words ‘I’m sorry’, ‘You’re forgiven’, ‘I’m free!’ – debt free, drug free… and all of a sudden whether we planned it for years or unexpectedly landed there, we are in new land. We have had a crossing.
In a season of crossing, do you know the most dangerous place? Just crossed, just over, just barely on the other side. The most dangerous time is just after we have crossed. Why? Because it is so easy to cross right back over. We cross to a new place or relationship or stage in life and fear sets in. Now what? This is not how I thought it would be. And we cross right back over to what we know and where we were comfortable.
Joshua knew this. He moved his people away from the banks of the Jordan, further into the land. To a place called Gilgal.
Gilgal means ‘circle’. God brought them full circle. Israel had been camped close to the Jordan for almost forty years, but never had the faith to cross. This was the second go-round. ‘Gilgal’ is a coming full circle and getting another try, breaking the old cycle, getting a do-over. Gilgal is finding home base. Gilgal is where God wanted them to be. His Presence was there, His people were there, He led them there.
If today, right now, you are in new land – a new job, a hard place in your family, a health crisis, an unhealed wound, even a dream come true – the other side often looks like pretty green pastures. But God would have us get to Gilgal. Do what Joshua did; get out of the line of sight of the previous place. Keep on walking, don’t look back. Set up home base with God.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, Wise Counselor,
I do not know this land. It seemed good from a distance, but now here, I am discouraged, frightened and floundering. I need your help. I ask for your clear guidance, keen insight and wisdom. Get me to Gilgal. Bring me full circle, away from past sins. Help me set up a new home base. Help me to trust that you will never leave me. Build faith in me through your Word. Show me this day just enough light to allow me to take one solid step into this new land. In your Name I pray. Amen.
Reflection Questions
Identify your land: Name a recent crossing in your life and what new land are you currently in?
Get to Gilgal: Are you staring back to the old land, yearning and contemplating returning to what is familiar, or have you kept on going into the new land? Name three steps you will take to begin building a strong home base with God.
Treasure Hunt:
How did Joshua and Caleb describe the Promised Land? Numbers 14: 7-8
What was David’s confidence in the land of the living? Psalm 27: 13-14
What was the first thing the people did in Gilgal? Joshua 5: 9-11
Faith in Action:
Crossing into new land is not easy; it takes courage. Once there, new land has its own set of battles and challenges. When God leads, the land God has purposed for us is exceedingly good. It is worth getting there. Nothing else will satisfy.
Author: Suzanne Matthews
One day I am an artist and another day I am an author. One thing all days… I love the Word of God! I cut my spiritual teeth teaching the Bible Study Fellowship Evening Women’s class in Huntsville. After 14 years, God called me to write, and a few years ago I retired from the Huntsville Museum of Art as the Director of Advancement to finish writing Crossings: Life Lessons from the Book of Joshua. That study cemented my advocacy for small group study, and I am busy writing my second study to be completed spring of 2014. I married the love of my life, Ben, and we have four grown children and I am “Zannie” to seven grandchildren. We worship at Saint Andrew’s Anglican Church in Madison. You can keep up with me through my blog at Coffee, Tea and Thee.
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