Awe & Wonder 8/2/26

August 4th, 2026

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT

Waiting on God can be one of the hardest parts of following Him. We often ask Him to remove the obstacles, reveal the entire plan, or guarantee the outcome before we're willing to move. But throughout Scripture, God frequently works in the opposite order. He asks us to trust Him first, and then He reveals His power.

Before Israel crossed the Jordan River, Joshua told the people, "Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." Before there was a miracle, there was preparation. Consecration meant setting themselves apart for God—turning from distractions, renewing their commitment, and preparing their hearts for what He was about to do. God's people couldn't control the miracle, but they could control whether they were spiritually ready when it came.

Then came the moment of faith. The Jordan River was overflowing its banks, making the crossing seem impossible. Yet God didn't stop the waters before the priests began walking. The river didn't part until their feet stepped into it. The miracle began the moment they trusted God's promise enough to obey.

The same principle is true for us today. Faith isn't waiting until every question is answered or every obstacle disappears. Faith is taking the next step God has asked us to take, even when we can't see what lies ahead. Sometimes that step is forgiving someone. Sometimes it's serving, sharing your faith, beginning a new ministry, or simply continuing to trust God in a season of waiting. Whatever the step may be, God often meets us in our obedience rather than before it.

If you're in a season where it feels like nothing is happening, don't assume God has forgotten you. Waiting is not wasted. Often, God is preparing your heart before He fulfills His promise. The wilderness isn't the end of your story—it may be the very place where God is developing the faith you'll need for what's next.

Tomorrow belongs to God. Your responsibility is to be faithful today. Consecrate your heart, trust His timing, and take the next step He has placed before you. You may discover that the miracle begins the moment your feet get wet.

REFLECT |

Is there an area of your life where you've been waiting for God to act before you're willing to obey?
What might God be preparing in your heart during this season of waiting?
What is the next step of faith God is asking you to take today?

BIBLE VERSES

Key Verses are denoted with an *

Numbers 13*
Numbers 14*
Deuteronomy 34*
Joshua 2
Joshua 3:5*
Joshua 3:15*

DAILY DEVOTIONAL

DAY 1 | PREPARE BEFORE THE PROMISE

There is something powerful about getting ready before anything has changed. Before the Israelites crossed the Jordan, before the water moved, before the miracle happened, Joshua gave the people one instruction: consecrate yourselves. Set yourselves apart. Prepare your hearts. God was about to do something extraordinary, and He wanted His people ready to receive it. It is easy to focus all of our energy on what we are asking God to do. We pray for breakthroughs, for open doors, for things to change. But sometimes the most important question is not what we want God to do. It is whether we are ready for it. Preparation is not glamorous. It is quiet, personal, and sometimes uncomfortable. But it is always necessary. Consecrating yourself is a deliberate choice. It means turning away from what is pulling you in the wrong direction and turning toward God with an open and willing heart. It is not about being perfect. It is about being available. Wherever you are today, God is not waiting for your life to be flawless before He moves. He is simply inviting you to prepare. The promise is already coming. The question is whether your heart is ready to receive it.

BIBLE VERSE |
"Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you." - Joshua 3:5

REFLECTION QUESTION |
What area of your life might God be asking you to prepare or surrender before He moves you into what is next?

QUOTE |
"What needs to change in me before God can change my circumstance?"

PRAYER |
Lord, help me to prepare my heart before I see the promise. Show me what needs to change in me so I am ready for what You are about to do. Amen.

DAY 2 | FAITH THAT GETS ITS FEET WET

The Jordan River was not a calm stream when the Israelites arrived. It was at flood stage, overflowing its banks, and completely impassable by human effort. God could have parted the water before anyone took a step. He did not. Instead, He asked the priests to carry the Ark forward and walk into the rushing current first. The water did not stop until their feet touched it. The miracle began not with a dramatic display from a safe distance, but with a step of obedience into the unknown. That is what real faith looks like. It is not waiting until everything makes sense or until the path is clear. It is choosing to move forward when the outcome is still uncertain, trusting that God is already at work in what you cannot yet see. Maybe you are standing at the edge of something that feels impossible right now. A relationship that needs repair. A decision that carries real risk. A step you have been putting off because you are waiting for certainty first. God is not asking you to have all the answers. He is asking you to trust Him enough to move. The miracle is waiting on the other side of your obedience. Take the step.

BIBLE VERSE |
"Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge..." - Joshua 3:15

REFLECTION QUESTION |
Is there a step of faith you have been delaying because you are waiting for God to move first?

QUOTE |
"The miracle didn't begin when the water stopped. It began when their feet got wet."

PRAYER |
God, give me the courage to step forward even when I cannot see what is ahead. I trust that You are already working in what I cannot yet see. Amen.

DAY 3 | THE WAITING IS NOT WASTED

Waiting is hard. Especially when you have been waiting a long time. The Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years before they ever saw the Jordan River. Forty years of desert, of uncertainty, of wondering if the promise was still real. And yet, every single day of that journey was shaping them for the moment they would finally cross over. God does not waste seasons. Even the ones that feel dry, confusing, or painfully long. The wilderness is not a detour from your story. It is often where the most important formation happens. It is where trust is built, character is refined, and faith is stretched beyond what is comfortable. You may be in a season right now that does not feel like progress. It may feel like you are stuck, overlooked, or far from where you thought you would be. But God is not finished. He is preparing you for something that requires exactly what this season is building in you. Every new beginning with God starts long before you ever see the sunrise. The journey to the beginning is often where He prepares you to experience the awe and wonder of what He is about to do. Keep going. The waiting is not wasted.

BIBLE VERSE |
"Then the Lord said to Him, 'This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob...'" - Deuteronomy 34:4

REFLECTION QUESTION |
Looking back, can you identify a difficult season that shaped you in a way you did not expect or appreciate at the time?

QUOTE |
"Every new beginning with God starts long before you ever see the sunrise. The journey to the beginning is often where God prepares you to experience the awe and wonder of what He is about to do."

PRAYER |
Father, help me to trust You in the waiting. Remind me that You are working even when I cannot see it, and that nothing in my journey is wasted. Amen.

DAY 4 | YOU WERE CHOSEN FOR THIS MOMENT

It can be easy to look at your life and wonder if you are in the right place. Maybe your circumstances feel ordinary. Maybe the people around you seem difficult. Maybe the community you are in does not feel like the mission field you imagined. But what if God placed you exactly where you are on purpose? God chose you for the career you have. He chose you for the friendships in your life. He chose you for the neighborhood, the family, and the community that surrounds you right now. None of it is accidental. You are not there by mistake. The Israelites did not choose the Jordan River as their crossing point. God led them there. And when they arrived, He did not ask them to understand it. He asked them to trust it. The same is true for you. You do not have to fully understand why you are where you are. You simply have to trust the One who placed you there. Your past does not disqualify you. Your season does not limit Him. Regardless of what you have been through, God still has something for you tomorrow. What you have been through is what has shaped you for this moment. You are not here by accident. You are here on purpose.

BIBLE VERSE |
"He sent spies secretly from Shittim... to look over the land, especially Jericho." - Joshua 2:1

REFLECTION QUESTION |
How might God be using your current relationships, workplace, or community as a specific and intentional mission field?

QUOTE |
"God chose you. He chose you for the career that you have to be a part of that to be able to minister to the people there. He chose you to have the friend groups that you have and to be around the people."

PRAYER |
Lord, help me to see my life through Your eyes. Show me the purpose in where You have placed me, and give me the courage to be present and faithful right where I am. Amen.

DAY 5 | TOMORROW IS STILL COMING

There is something deeply hopeful about the word tomorrow. It carries the weight of everything that has not happened yet. Every promise still waiting to be fulfilled. Every sunrise you have not yet seen. Every miracle still on its way. The Israelites standing at the edge of the Jordan had no idea what tomorrow would look like. They could not see the other side clearly. They did not have a detailed plan. But they knew who was leading them, and that was enough. They chose to trust the journey even before they could see the destination. God is the same today. He is not asking you to have everything figured out. He is asking you to take the next step. To consecrate your heart. To trust Him in the dark. To believe that the sunrise is coming even when you are still walking through the night. No matter where you are in your journey, the beauty was always coming. You just have to make the journey and wait for the right moment. Today is your invitation to choose faith before the crossing, before the promise, before the sunrise. Stand up and say, I am ready, God. Tomorrow is still coming, and He has something for you in it.

BIBLE VERSE |
"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide..." - Joshua 1:1

REFLECTION QUESTION |
What would it look like for you to fully trust God with your tomorrow, even if today still feels uncertain?

QUOTE |
"Regardless of the things that you've done, regardless of what season you're in, regardless of what your family looks like or looked like, regardless of the things that have happened in your past, there will be something tomorrow."

PRAYER |
God, I choose to trust You with my tomorrow. Help me to walk by faith today, knowing that You are already preparing what I cannot yet see. Amen.

ACTION STEP

This week, identify one specific area of your life where you have been waiting for God to remove an obstacle before you take a step of faith. Write it down, pray over it, and then take one concrete action toward it, trusting God with the outcome. Also, reach out to one person in your life and ask them to hold you accountable, whether that is in staying in God's Word, breaking a habit, or pursuing something God has placed on your heart. The miracle begins when your feet get wet.

PRAYER

Lord, Thank You for the reminder that You are faithful, that Your promises are real, and that You are always working even when we cannot see it. As we leave this place, help us to consecrate ourselves, to prepare our hearts, and to take bold steps of faith even when the path ahead is not fully clear. Remind us that the miracle begins when our feet get wet. Give us the courage to trust You through the dark stretches of the journey, knowing that the sunrise You have prepared is more beautiful than anything we could imagine. May everything we do point others to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.

BIBLE APP PLANS

The Power to Transform // Take the First Step
6 Days – Gather Ministries
Ever heard "A body in motion stays in motion"? Put another way, "a man on a path stays on that path". Put another way "change is hard!!" Come be challenged and encouraged in this 6 day plan and get a glimpse of God's power to change you and the richness of showing up for your life.

Strong And Courageous: Leadership Lessons From The Book Of Joshua
8 Days – John Houston
Have you ever wondered, “How did I get here?” When God calls us to something new, it can be overwhelming. You might feel in over your head or question your direction. Joshua wasn’t a perfect leader, but we can learn a lot from his story. Let's walk through Joshua’s milestone events and encounters with God. We can learn how to be strong and courageous leaders by following his example.

The Truth About Following Jesus (Youth)
3 Days – OneHope

This 3-day plan introduces the story of Jesus and what it means to trust and follow him. Through short daily readings, it unpacks faith, repentance, and God’s unconditional love, inviting spiritually curious young adults to come home to God, receive grace as a gift, and begin a lifelong journey with Christ.