I came across this in my Bible reading today:
And when the soles of the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off from flowing, and the waters coming down from above shall stand in one heap. – Joshua 3:13
This is one of those instances that often gets missed in the biblical story. When the people are about to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land, another Exodus-type event happens with water. As God lifted the waters in the Red Sea to provide safe passage for Israel, so too here the waters stand in a heap to allow the ark of the covenant to pass through. God is continually showing that it is not by the will of people that God’s plans are achieved, but rather solely by the power of God. They are experiencing things they could not do on their own so that all glory goes to God.
It’s crucial that we remember this, too. God has set up an intentional theological paradigm for us – our salvation is not of our own doing, but is a gift from God. Though we were dead in our sins (Eph. 2), he gave us new life, he caused us to pass through the waters of judgment unharmed. Water always serves that dual purpose symbolically in the Bible – it is both death to some and the road to salvation for others. God will separate the sheep and goats (Mt. 25), and will bring judgment and will save those who trust in the Lord. By faith, trust in him who has the power over the wind and the waves!