One Thousand Yards

Prayer is one of the most precious commodities God gives people. It is the means by which we first reach out to Him, we first acknowledge Him and give our lives to Him, and, if given the opportunity, may be the last thing we are doing before we see Him face to face. The whole of Scripture is God teaching us how to commune with Him. We see it in the comfortable relationship Adam and Eve had with Him in the garden, the passion of the Psalms, the template of The Lord's Prayer, and in Hope's victory in Revelation. I have learned to appreciate the cadence and patterns in the prayers of others and join with them in tearful intercession and triumphant praise. It is a privilege that matures as we grow closer in our relationship with God. It is in the instructions given in Joshua 3:1-6 that I see a tremendous aspect of prayer begin to develop --specifically, verse 4:

Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.

The Ark of the Covenant represented the presence of God, and there were some very specific rules regarding it. It was not to be thought of as common, familiar. Scripture is clear about the way we approach God in prayer as well. But the thing that caught my eye in Joshua 4 was the distance. God did not give instructions for His people to "follow as closely as you can." He did not encourage them to move when the Ark (His presence) moved. He said, keep your distance --about a thousand yards according to scholars. And God gives them the reason: so you will know where to go. The Ark was to be their guide, and as they traveled with it waaaay out in front, it would have been visible to all. Every Israelite could keep their eyes fixed on God. Not the back of Levi's head. Not Saul's donkey. Each individual fixed on God.

But there's more, and as I mentioned, it's got to do with prayer. Have you started praying God prepares a wife for your 10-year-old son? Have you begun to pray God softens the heart of you great-great granddaughter? Have you prayed for the pastor of the church you'll be attending when you retire in twelve years? Have you prayed your infant child resists temptation at that graduation party he will one day attend? Now, I could go down a HUGE rabbit hole on this one, but a) there is never a lack of things to pray about if we are praying "God's will be done", and b) God's presence will go before us --and our great-great grandchildren --if we ask. Just as the Ark of the Covenant cut a path for God's people to follow into a Promised Land, God will prepare places and people for His glory and the good of His people. God is not bound by time and can do those things now!

Additionally, have you prayed enough? I don't mean this as a currying favor, legal sort of thing, but have you half-heartedly offered up a request before going about and doing your own thing, putting into effect your own designs? In his commentary of Joshua 3:4, Alexander MacLaren wrote:

In a shipwreck, the chances are that the boats will be swamped by the people scrambling into them in too great a hurry. In the Christian life most of the mistakes that people make arise from their not letting the ark go far enough ahead of them before they gather up their belongings and follow it. An impatience of the half-declared divine will, a running before we are sent, an acting before we are quite sure that God wills us to do so-and-so, are at the root of most of the failures of Christian effort, and of a large number of the miseries of Christian men. If we would only have patience! Three-quarters of a mile the ark went ahead before a man lifted a foot to follow it, and there was no mistake possible then.

Prayer is power, privilege, access to the presence of God. It is made to be developed and utilized for our good and our God's glory. Our gracious Heavenly Father wants to teach us, but we must fix our eyes on Him alone, rest in His sovereignty over all things and His freedom from worldly restraints, and slow down, listen, wait on Him.