Out of Order?

God doesn’t always do things in what we think should be the correct order.

Take, for example, when God led the people into the Promised Land: They crossed the Jordan miraculously, set up camp, and then God ordered the men to be circumcised.

The Israelites are in the Promised Land, in the company of people who do not want them there, who are afraid of what these Holy People have up their sleeves. And God, in essence, warrants them incapable of defending themselves. What would have happened if the people in Jericho decided to attack while Israel was healing? What if the people of Jericho had decided to ransack the Israelite campground, taking their women and children captive?

To my outside eyes, it appears God did things out of order. He should have ordered their circumcision before they crossed the Jordan to take possession of the land. But instead of doing what my finite mind things should be correct, God did things His way (as He should).

God led the Israelites into the Promised Land and – right away – gave them a test of obedience: would they continue to trust His protection and deliverance now that they are in the land? Would the render themselves effectively useless against their enemies? God required them to just be still… to rest before starting a big battle. He invited them to remain dependent on Him.

Allen and I are in a phase where we feel like God has been doing things out of order… but we know that He has good plans that are for a purpose. So we are just taking the next step of obedience, doing the next thing we know He has called us to. We are crossing our own figurative Jordan Rivers, circumcising our hearts, and trusting that He will defend and stand before us, just as He did the Israelites.

Things may look out of order, but isn’t that just how God does things?!