10 So Joshua ordered the officers of the people: 11 ‘Go through the camp and tell the people, “Get your provisions ready. THREE DAYS FROM NOW YOU WILL CROSS THE JORDAN HERE TO GO AND TAKE POSSESSION OF THE LAND the Lord your God is giving you for your own.”’ Joshua 1
Even though God had promised the land of Canaan to Israel, they still had to have A PERIOD OF PREPARATION before they crossed over to battle the tribes who lived there. God has things for His people, individually and corporately today, but we must PREPARE OURSELVES. The enemies who lived in the land of Canaan were powerful, although no match for Almighty God, yet Israel had to prepare BEFORE THEY CROSSED OVER TO BATTLE THEM AND TAKE THEIR INHERITANCE.
15 I assembled them at the canal that flows towards Ahava, and WE CAMPED THERE THREE DAYS.
21 There, by the Ahava Canal, I PROCLAIMED A FAST, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions. 22 I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the king, ‘The gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks to him, but his great anger is against all who forsake him.’ 23 SO WE FASTED AND PETITIONED OUR GOD ABOUT THIS, AND HE ANSWERED OUR PRAYER. Ezra 8
God had already promised that HE WOULD RETURN Israel to their land after seventy years. Jeremiah 29:11 However it was a long and potentially dangerous journey, so Ezra gathered the people to fast and pray, again for three days. The Bible indicates in several places that people took three days, before they stepped out to act. Even after the long and successful journey to Jerusalem, the people again rested before moving into action.
31 On the twelfth day of the first month we set out from the Ahava Canal to go to Jerusalem. The hand of our God was on us, and he protected us from enemies and bandits along the way. 32 So we arrived in Jerusalem, where we rested three days. Joshua 15
The Message is simple, when we’re facing major decisions take enough time to pray and seek God before we act. Or in modern parlance;
Don’t ASS-U-ME, makes an ASS out of U(You) and ME.
May the Lord bless and keep you today. Immanuel, God is with us.