That has certainly felt true for us in our own journey. Our family has walked with Chris through cancer twice. Twice we\u2019ve needed God to part the waters and bring healing. And each time, He has faithfully met us \u2014 in different ways but clearly present. Clearly good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, staying in the U.S., rather than returning to the life we knew and loved \u2014 one with deep and rich relationships and community in Thailand \u2014 has been hard. Still, we are trusting God\u2019s loving kindness in the unfamiliar, uncertain and uncomfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the text, I saw how clearly God holds both the present moment and the long view. He cared deeply about where the Israelites were that day \u2014 standing at the edge of a rushing river, unsure of what came next. But He also had the bigger picture in mind, shaping a future for them far beyond that moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This realization comforts me when I\u2019m facing the chaos of today. I tend to think forward about what\u2019s coming next, when I need to be present in the here and now. Yet I\u2019m learning that I can<\/em> be present precisely because God is the one who truly holds the long view. Like the Israelites, I need to remember what God has already done, and that He\u2019s the same good God who will accomplish all He purposes, both now and in the future. “He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the LORD\u2019s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the LORD your God forever.\u201d – Joshua 4:24 NLT<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n God was thinking beyond that single crossing, beyond that generation. And because of that, thousands of years later, remembering His goodness through this story has become a lifeline for me, too, especially in seasons marked by uncertainty, transition and grief. What a beautiful reminder of how God\u2019s Word speaks fresh truth into new circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a holy tension in learning to rest in the present while believing that God is using this moment to shape and ready us for the future \u2014 especially when we\u2019re standing at a river. But anchoring ourselves in His Word \u2014 alongside other spiritual disciplines such as prayer, community and wise counsel \u2014 prepares us for what\u2019s ahead. These disciplines form a foundation under our feet that readies us for and sustains us through future crossings. When we face them, let\u2019s not try to cross alone. In community, with God and others, we find support \u2014 and get to testify, together, to His faithful, loving kindness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scripture Reading: Joshua 4:6-7<\/a>, Deuteronomy 31:6<\/a>, Lamentations 3:20-24<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Group Questions for Discussion:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Personal Questions for Reflection:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Pray with us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -For Luis as he applies to our local technical center, which he would attend for two hours per day and learn a skill, in addition to completing other courses at his current school. Admittance is through a lottery system due to limited seating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -For many decisions and details to be decided regarding our return to Thailand this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n -In thanksgiving to God for a good trip for Becca to Spain to meet with other international counselors in our organization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A few months ago I spoke at a women\u2019s retreat, and as I prepared, I found myself lingering in Joshua […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":772,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-767","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=767"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":780,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/767\/revisions\/780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/772"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=767"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=767"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hirtfamily.net\/chris\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=767"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
After they crossed the Jordan, the people of Israel set up stones of remembrance not only so they would remember His faithfulness, but also so future generations \u2014 and even surrounding nations \u2014 would know who He is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis devotional, originally titled Anchored and Aligned: Present Obedience, Future Hope<\/em> was written by Rebecca Hirt and published on February 6th, 2026 in the Wycliffe devotional series Deeply Rooted<\/em>. We hope it blesses you!<\/pre>\n\n\n\n