Sometimes life brings us into seasons where everything just feels… heavy. Not catastrophic, not dramatic, just full. Full of responsibility. Full of decisions. Full of deadlines. Full of needs. Full of emotion. I’ve been in that place lately. Not falling apart, just stretched, tired, and staring at a to-do list that feels bigger than my capacity.
The other day I was sharing this with my mentor, the overwhelm, the shifting in my ministry, and the sense that God was expanding something in me that I don’t yet have room for. He listened and then said, “You need an assistant.”
I laughed out loud.
“That’s great,” I said, “but I can’t afford one.”
And that’s when he reminded me of something I had forgotten:
“You prayed for two years for a mentor. You didn’t know where he would come from, and God brought me into your life from a direction you never expected. Why wouldn’t God provide for this need the same way? Pray for the assistant the same way you prayed for the mentor.”
His confidence in God’s provision made something inside me pause. He was right. I’ve been asking God for help, but expecting Him to stay within the limits of my logic, my budget, my plans, my “safe” expectations. I’ve been praying Isaiah 54:2 all year: “Enlarge the place of your tent.” I just didn’t realize enlarging means loosening. Stretching. Releasing control.
I’ve been asking God to expand my tent while holding tightly to my stakes.
Maybe you’ve been there too, standing on the edge of something new, but feeling overwhelmed by what stepping forward might cost. Wanting God’s promise, but not seeing the provision. Feeling the nudge toward more, but unsure where the help will come from.
And that’s when Joshua 3 came alive to me in a way I’ve never seen before.
Israel was finally standing at the border of the Promised Land — the place God had promised for generations. After forty years of wandering, they’re here. And I imagine some of them expected that stepping into the promise would be simple. Easy. Peaceful.
But that’s not how God works.
Scripture says the Jordan River was at flood stage.
The worst possible moment.
The most dangerous crossing.
The river at its widest, deepest, strongest.
Flood stage.
Right at the moment God says, “It’s time to move.”
And I realized: flood stage is God’s stage.
Because if the river had been calm, they might have believed they could handle it themselves. But when God calls you forward at flood stage, it becomes clear that what He’s doing is something only He can do.
God told the priests to step into the water — while the river was still raging.
Nothing had changed yet.
Nothing looked possible yet.
Nothing felt safe yet.
And then Scripture says something so stunning that I’ve been thinking about it all week:
The moment the priests’ feet touched the water’s edge, God stopped the Jordan River… sixteen miles upstream.
Sixteen miles.
Upstream.
Far from their sight.
In a place they couldn’t see and didn’t know to look.
Which means the miracle began before they ever saw evidence of it.
God had already acted.
God had already moved.
God had already made a way.
They just hadn’t seen it yet.
And I can’t shake this thought:
What if the miracle you’ve been praying for is already in motion?
What if the provision you need is already upstream?
What if the help you’re waiting for has already been commanded, you just haven’t seen the water pile up yet?
I’m learning that trusting God at flood stage isn’t about having more faith, it’s about surrendering the illusion that we had control.
My flood stage looks like trying to carry more ministry tasks than one person can reasonably carry. Yours might look completely different, a decision, a diagnosis, a relationship, a financial strain, a grief, a transition.
But the feeling is the same:
overwhelmed, stretched thin, and unsure how to step forward.
Yet this is where God whispers:
“Trust Me. Step forward. The miracle may already be sixteen miles upstream.”
Not because stepping forward creates the miracle, but because stepping forward reveals what God has already done.
Today, I’m choosing to trust Him in the places where I feel overwhelmed. I’m choosing to believe that the God who calls me forward is the same God who goes upstream on my behalf. And I’m choosing to take the next step even if the water still looks wild.
Friend, if you’re standing at your own Jordan River today, I want you to hear this:
You’re not standing in the wrong place.
You’re standing in the place where God loves to show His faithfulness.
Today’s Step
Name one thing that feels too heavy for you right now. Hand it back to God and pray:
“Lord, I release this into Your hands. I choose to trust You. I believe the miracle may already be upstream.”
I’m choosing that today too.
⸻
Want to hear this message in conversation form?
This blog is adapted from the I Choose Today podcast episode, where I share this message in a more personal, Real Talk style. If you’d like to listen, you can find the full episode at ichoosetoday.org/listen or wherever you listen to podcasts. I’d love to have you join me there.
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