Joshua told the people, ‘Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you’” (Joshua 3:5).

We all have memories of times when there was great anticipation for something amazing to come. As a young teen, I can recall being eager for our Canadian fishing trips to Lake Nippissing in Ontario. After weeks of preparation and an all-night drive, we pulled up to the dock, steam rising off a beautiful lake with the smell of balsam in the air.

In a much greater way, the children of Israel were anticipating entering the Promised Land. After years of wandering, an amazing time was at hand. We find in the story of Joshua a roadmap to prepare for the amazing.

A Message

In any endeavor, a word from the Lord — a message — is the beginning. Joshua received a clear call from God to lead the people. Joshua’s ability to lead wasn’t determined by his circumstances, but by the consistency of his Creator. It wasn’t dependent on the size of Joshua’s enemy, but on the sovereignty of his God.

The enormity of the task didn’t matter; the anointing of the Master was far greater.

This was God’s message to Joshua: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Joshua 1:5).

God has a calling on every believer’s life, and His promises are consistent throughout Scripture. He calls us because God wants us to be with Him (Mark 3:13-14). Jesus calls us to a relationship with Him, not to a career. Joshua had his time of personal conversation with the Lord at the tent of meeting before he ever stepped up to lead the people.

A Mission

Joshua had a word from God, a message of hope and confidence, because God had a mission for him.

When people call out for God’s help, He often sends a person — in this case, Joshua. God told Joshua that He would grant him the respect of the people. The Lord promised to exalt Joshua in the sight of Israel (Joshua 3:7). That’s the last thing most of us need to hear, because it would go straight to our heads.

Yet Joshua never mentioned to the people God’s promise that he would be exalted in their eyes. Joshua just did his job of leading them.

For many people, worldly honors bring a worldly spirit. However, a Christlike spirit always wears honor with great humility. We must always be amazed that God in His sovereignty has blessed us to be a conduit of His power and glory.

When God sends a person, He also gives them power for the mission. That power is the Word of God. Joshua exhorted the Israelites to listen to the “words of the Lord” (Joshua 3:9). It was the Word of God that would give them the power and encouragement that the battle would be theirs. And not only was there power for the person, but provision for the mission.

We won’t find our way to the fullness of God’s amazing blessings until we consecrate ourselves.

It seems there is always a “Jordan” between us and God’s miraculous answer, but it is God’s purpose for us to cross over. God had every intention of Israel crossing the rain-swollen Jordan, and He promised to provide a way “since you have never been this way before” (Joshua 3:4).

A Motive

God’s motive was to have a consecrated people. They needed to prepare to be in the presence of the Holy One. Joshua told the people to consecrate themselves, “for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you” (Joshua 3:5).

This consecration of the nation of Israel was about making sure there was nothing unclean in their lives or households. They needed to make everything right before the Lord.

Consecration invites God to point out areas that need to change, as when David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Consecration prepares our lives for God’s presence to flow in and through us. In today’s impatient culture, we often want the miraculous before consecration.

We want the demonstration before the desperation in prayer. We want the blessing before the bending of our knees. We want to apply the principles that worked elsewhere without paying the price that preceded the outpouring in those places.

Consecration is a strategic reorientation of our hearts. It takes the focus off of selfish desires and puts it squarely on the Giver of Life. It is about finding our heart’s true home. Consecration comes before the amazing.

A Miracle

Once God’s motive of having a consecrated people was fulfilled, He provided His miracle.

We won’t find our way to the fullness of God’s amazing blessings until we consecrate ourselves and those we lead consecrate themselves. Only then will God roll back the waters so His can people go through the flood on dry ground. Only then will we see the amazing miracles He wants to do in our lives, our homes, our churches and our communities.

A Memorial

Joshua told the leaders of the Twelve Tribes each to take a stone from the riverbed before the ark of the covenant passed over and to set up those rocks as a memorial on the other side of the river in Gilgal (Joshua 4:4-7,20-24).

When things got tough in the years to come, this memorial would remind Israel of God’s faithfulness — and they could pass down the story to those who came after them. “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them … ,” Joshua said (Joshua 4:6).

Future generations needed this memorial since children easily forget the faith and the instructions of their parents. Likewise, our children need to hear the stories of our salvation and God’s work in our lives.

We must be ready to share these testimonies, and the truths of Scripture, with others as well. After all, God wants everyone to know about His existence and nature. “He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the Lord is powerful and so that you might always fear the Lord your God” (Joshua 4:24).

God has called you. He has a message, a mission, a motive, a miracle and a memorial (a memory maker) for your life. Start preparing for the amazing today!