Joshua 3:5 Devotional: ‘The Lord Will Do Miracles Among You’ + Free Printable Scripture Art — Erica Barthalow

PSA: A digital copy of the very first hand-lettered print of the newly relaunched A Beautiful Word Co. is absolutely FREE to anyone (and everyone!) who signs up at the bottom of this page to get email updates from me. Read on to get the details and the whole story about the print!

There was a time in my life when I did not love, or even like, reading the Bible. It was one of those check mark things; a thing you did because you were supposed to, not because you really wanted to. For much of my young life I just didn’t really understand it. Strange Old Testament laws, cryptic prophecies, the list seemed to go on and on. Often I’d close the book and walk away wondering what in the world that had to do with my life right now.

But I kept at it and somewhere along the way something shifted. And one day I found myself reading the Bible with new eyes—and I couldn’t get enough. Clearly, nothing had changed about the Bible, but something had changed in me.

If you came to this space and you can relate, I believe a shift can happen for you too! And if you came here already loving the Bible that’s awesome! My hope for these emails and A Beautiful Word Co. is that the words and stories of the Bible will be made new and fresh to you again and again. And I pray this space will be a place where you can soak in the beauty of God’s word and let it transform your life. There’s so much noise out there on social media, and I want this to be a place where you can catch your breath, a place you can trust, a place you can find truth.

In Genesis Jesus is described as THE WORD. He is the original beautiful word. He is THE TRUTH. Words are powerful, and there’s power in reading the Bible. In letting it read you. Revelation (1:3) tells us we’re blessed when we read the word of the Lord out loud and Old Testament Jews were told to bind God’s words to their foreheads and hands (Deut. 6:8). He told them to do this so that they would continually see and contemplate his commands.

I like to think that the art prints and stickers I create with A Beautiful Word Co. can become a modern day way for us to bind God’s words to our forehead and hands, and these (relatively) short emails will encourage and strengthen your faith and bring beauty to your life.

Are you ready? I know I am!

Let’s dive into the story behind our very first print in the new A Beautiful Word Co! (btw, did you see that you can get a digital copy of this print for FREE just by signing up for email updates from me?)

Here’s the context for this verse. Moses has just died, and now the mantle of leadership has been passed to a new generation. The Lord has chosen Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. It’s finally happening!! After years and years of disobedience and delay, the next generation is about to put their hands on the promise that God had given their parents and grandparents. But there was a raging river in their way.

As we follow the arc of this story, we see miracle upon miracle stacking up, just like the stones that God tells the Israelites to gather from the riverbed to build an altar in Joshua 4. Stones from the middle of the very river that had stood in their way. God actually caused the water to pile up so that his people could cross over. Miraculous!

So what caused Joshua to make that statement, “The Lord will do miracles among you,” before they even stepped near the river?

In a word, history. Joshua (and the Israelites) had a history with God. A history where God showed up and came through for them. And here’s the truth, the book of Joshua tells us that God is a miracle working God. And we see this truth repeated again in the New Testament—and throughout the Bible.

And God is still a miracle working God. The same God that was with Joshua and the Israelites by the banks of the Jordan river is with you too. Joshua spoke with confidence because he had already seen the faithfulness of God and he knew that God wasn’t done.

One thing that struck me deeply as I studied this passage is that it was the presence of the Lord that was holding back the waters. It was his presence that was going before them and opening the way ahead of them.

Maybe today you need that reminder. Maybe you’re waiting on a miracle. You might just be on the edge of the river, about to cross into the Promised Land, but you need God to dam up the river so you can get across. Remember that it was his presence that held back the waters. Seek him and his presence as you wait for the miracle!