Five Biblical Principles in a Time of Transition

It’s a time of transition. I sit on the floor among piles of open boxes trying to envision how to master the unknown way of leaving my life as I knew it and crossing into a new life in another country alone.

Five Biblical Principles in a Time of Transition

Transitions come in all forms and ways. Some are wanted, some unwanted. But they all have something in common – leaving the familiar and “secure” life and venturing into the unfamiliar, uncharted, scary new period. Transition means changing and stretching, groaning and growing.

01. God Wants to Show Us the Way

When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, and the Levitical priests carrying it, you are to move out from your positions and follow it. Then you will know which way to go since you have never been this way before. (Joshua 3:3-4 NIV)

When we are in a time of transition and the unknown territory stretches before us full of questions and doubts, God assures us that He knows the way. He is very aware that we have never been this way before and He wants us to follow Him.

When we see Him move, then we move too, not running in front of Him and not lagging behind. We need to listen carefully and follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit and move in sync with Him.

02. Preparation for a Time of Transition

“Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” (Joshua 3:5 NIV)

To follow God when everything seems out of order and to cross over into a new season, we need to consecrate ourselves. How do we consecrate ourselves? We do so by committing ourselves to trust God and walk by faith, not by sight. We poise ourselves to anticipate, to be alert, and tentative to God’s voice.

03. Go and Stand in the River

“Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.” (Joshua 3:8 NIV)

If we want to move on, we need to do the first step. We need to stand in the river that is our transition. We might be afraid but for God to help us cross over, we need to step in the water with confidence that God will provide what we need when we need it.

Often we tend to draw a mental map of our transition, trying to envision how things may develop and preparing a plan B or C which throws us in spirals of worry and anxiety. But God wants us to learn to rest in His presence, being confident that He supplies what we need on the go.

04. In the Middle of Transition on Dry Ground

“The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.” (Joshua 3:17 NIV)

God promises us dry ground in the middle of our transition! Dry ground means that we will walk safely and securely in the dangerous waters of our transitions. When God leads the way, He also makes a way. We can rest confident and peaceful in our Way-maker.

Not only God goes before us, but He is also our rear guard. He opens the way, and He closes the way. His love and protection encompass and surround our transitions.

“And as soon as all of them had crossed, the ark of the Lord and the priests came to the other side while the people watched.” (Joshua 4:11 NIV)

05. Transition Leads to Testimony

“Go over before the ark of the Lord your God into the middle of the Jordan. Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, to serve as a sign among you.” (Joshua 4:5-6 NIV)

“And Joshua set up at Gilgal the twelve stones they had taken out of the Jordan. He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground.’ For the Lord, your God dried up the Jordan before you until you had crossed over.” (Joshua 4:20-23 NIV)

Transition leads to testimony. We take something to serve as a sign and memory that we have stepped on the bottom of the sea of troubles and we came out alive. We came out carrying a sign that by the power of God we have overcome and what has meant to hurt and destroy was rendered powerless in our lives.

Your Turn

Are you in a time of transition now? Which of these five principles for a time of transition do you find the most encouraging?

---

This post was first published on On The Way Blog