Greg Laurie Speaks from the Judean Wilderness

As they say on the postcards, “Wish you were here!”

So, since you are not in Israel, let me bring a little Israel to you. Today, we visited the Jordan River. Here is what I said to our tour group:

The Jordan River

Undoubtedly, the most famous river in all of the world. It is mentioned 175 times in the Old Testament and 15 times in the New Testament.

This is where Abraham and Lot parted company. “And Lot lifted up his eyes, and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar; this was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east; thus they separated from each other” (Genesis 13:10–11 RSV).

After a night of wrestling with God, Jacob was given the name of Israel by the Jordan. There Jacob said he would not let go until the angel blessed him. That was no angel, but Jesus Himself.

Elijah and Elisha were active on both sides of this great river. When General Naaman the leper came to Israel, Elisha told him to go to the Jordan. After dunking himself seven times, Naaman’s skin was like that of a baby.

When the Israelites crossed over to the Promised Land, there was an obstacle: the Jordan. God told Joshua and Caleb to “consecrate themselves, for the Lord would do wonders.” God told the priests to pick up the Ark of the Covenant and carry it across. Not a problem if they were using a bridge, but the waters were raging. So the priests had to take a bold step of faith and step into the waters. God said that when they did this the waters would stop and the way would be opened.

There are times when God will tell us to “get our feet wet”! Are you willing to do that?

Perhaps the Lord has been showing you to take a bold step of faith. When we are young, we are willing to take risks, take chances. As we get older, we become more cautious. I urge you to boldly step out to serve God.

• Share Christ with that friend.
• Start that home Bible study.
• Do that thing the Lord has put on your heart.

See what the Lord will do. The doorway to success is often entered through the hallway of failure.