Trusting God In The Transitions (40th Anniversary) | Daniel Bentley

Sep 22, 2024

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God in Life’s Transitions

Life is a series of seasons, and God is faithful through every change. He leads us from one chapter to the next, and even when the path is unfamiliar, we can have confidence in His guidance. The same God who provided in the past is with you in your current transition. He has not brought you this far to abandon you now. Look to Him for direction and peace. [19:02]

And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Pass on before the ark of the LORD your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” (Joshua 4:5-7 ESV)

Reflection: What significant transition are you currently navigating, and in what practical way can you fix your eyes on God’s presence, rather than the uncertainty of the path ahead?

Day 2: The Purpose in Your Wilderness Season

God often uses dry and difficult seasons to prepare us for what is next. The wilderness is not a punishment but a place of divine provision and preparation. While it may feel barren, God is actively sustaining you and building your character for the future He has promised. These seasons are temporary, designed to lead you into a greater destiny. [25:55]

And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2 ESV)

Reflection: As you look back on a past or present wilderness season, what specific provision or character trait can you identify that God was developing in you for your future?

Day 3: Building Memorials of God’s Faithfulness

It is vital to intentionally mark the moments where God has shown up powerfully in our lives. These memorials serve as anchors for our faith, reminding us of His goodness when we face new challenges. They are not just for our own reflection but become stories we can share to strengthen others. Taking time to remember builds our confidence for what is to come. [41:20]

I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. (Psalm 77:11-12 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific ‘memorial’ in your life—a time, place, or event—where God’s intervention was undeniable? How can you revisit that memory to encourage your faith today?

Day 4: Worshiping God in the Middle of the Miracle

We often praise God after a trial is over, but He is also worthy of our worship in the midst of it. Recognizing God’s hand at work while we are still in the process deepens our trust and transforms our perspective. He is with you in the chaos, the waiting, and the mess, actively working on your behalf. [44:55]

And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day. (Joshua 4:9 ESV)

Reflection: What is a challenging situation you are currently ‘in the middle of’? How might choosing to worship God right now, before it is resolved, change your experience of this season?

Day 5: Transferring Faith to the Next Generation

Our faith is a legacy to be stewarded and passed on, not inherited. This requires intentionality in sharing our stories of God’s faithfulness with those who are younger. The blessings we enjoy today are often the result of someone else’s sacrifice and obedience. We now have the privilege and responsibility to build a foundation of faith for the future. [51:55]

One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. (Psalm 145:4 ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person in the next generation—a child, a younger friend, or a new believer—with whom you can intentionally share a story of God’s faithfulness in your life this week?

Sermon Summary

Maranatha Chapel marks forty years of communal faith with a clear conviction: God can be trusted in every transition. The congregation recounts a story that began with an 11-year-old conversion and grew into a local church that weathered desert seasons, leadership change, and seasonal moves before settling into a permanent home. Scripture from Joshua 3–4 provides the framework: after forty years in the wilderness the Israelites crossed a flooded Jordan, experienced a miracle, and erected twelve stones as a memorial. Those stones served two purposes—remembrance of God’s past faithfulness and teaching tools to transfer faith to coming generations.

The number forty functions as a theological signpost for seasons of preparation and transition. Wilderness provision—manna, water from a rock, cloud guidance, and the giving of the law—prepared the people for settled life in the promised land, where provision would change from manna to gardens and leaders would change from Moses to Joshua. Transitions call for new kinds of faith and different forms of stewardship; staying stuck in the patterns of a former season prevents entrance into what God now brings.

Remembering plays an active role in sustaining faith. God commands memorials not simply to look back but to propel future trust; memory forms muscle for present obedience. Building sacred remembrances—places, stories, and rituals—helps families rehearse God’s work so children can inherit an examined faith rather than a cultural habit. Intentional parental testimony and communal memorials guard against forgetting and prevent the erosion of faith across generations.

Finally, transitions yield testimony. Each crossing becomes evidence of God’s mighty hand meant to be proclaimed beyond the camp. The Joshua moment models worship both on the far shore and in the middle of the river: praise can happen after the miracle and during the trial. The congregation receives both a pastoral exhortation to celebrate now and a call to steward this season faithfully so that current victories become the bedrock of future generations’ faith.

Key Takeaways

1. Trust God through life’s transitions God’s pattern shows preparation in the wilderness and provision at the river’s edge; transitions demand trust that past faithfulness informs present steps. When a new season requires different rhythms and resources, leaning on God’s proven character frees obedience instead of fear. This trust reframes hardship as part of God’s shaping work rather than mere delay. [23:22]
2. Build memorials to remember Memorials function as intentional anchors that translate past provision into present courage. By marking moments—places of baptism, seats where God met a family, stacks of stones—memory becomes accessible and rehearsable, preventing the spiritual amnesia that undermines future faith. Memorials teach the heart to retrieve God’s track record under pressure. [34:59]
3. Worship in the middle of trials Praise need not wait for the far shore; worship in the middle reframes suffering and reveals God’s presence amid the flood. Creating a memorial while still wet-footed resists the impulse to rush past formative seasons and trains the soul to see God at work now. This habit produces immediate testimony and deepens endurance. [42:09]
4. Pass faith to the next generation Intentional storytelling equips children to inherit faith rather than assume it. Rehearsing God’s acts—around campfires, at altars, in family habits—creates teachable moments that require discipline and sacrificial stewardship. Without this handoff, memorials become monuments to the past instead of fuel for the future. [45:37]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[06:14] - Origins and early vision
[11:39] - New tools and upcoming feast
[13:54] - Trusting God in transitions
[21:20] - Reading Joshua 4: the memorial stones
[31:44] - Lessons for navigating change
[37:05] - Memorials: remembrance that moves forward
[45:37] - Passing faith to the next generation
[52:39] - Transitions as testimony to nations
[55:50] - Present invitation and celebration

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading
Joshua 4:1–9 (ESV)
When all the nation had finished passing over the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, “Take twelve men from the people, from each tribe a man, and command them, saying, ‘Take twelve stones from here out of the midst of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests’ feet stood firmly, and bring them over with you and lay them down in the place where you lodge tonight.’” Then Joshua called the twelve men from the people of Israel, whom he had appointed, a man from each tribe. And Joshua said to them, “Pass on before the ark of the Lord your God into the midst of the Jordan, and take up each of you a stone upon his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, that this may be a sign among you. When your children ask in time to come, ‘What do those stones mean to you?’ then you shall tell them that the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. So these stones shall be to the people of Israel a memorial forever.” And the people of Israel did just as Joshua commanded and took up twelve stones out of the midst of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the people of Israel, just as the Lord told Joshua. And they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged and laid them down there. And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests bearing the ark of the covenant had stood; and they are there to this day.

Observation questions

What specific instructions did God give Joshua regarding the stones from the Jordan River?
According to the passage, what was the intended purpose of the memorial stones when future generations would see them?
In addition to the memorial on the shore, what did Joshua do in the middle of the Jordan (v. 9), and why might that be significant?
How does the sermon describe the role of "memorials" in helping believers remember God’s faithfulness? [34:59]

Interpretation questions

Why do you think God commanded the Israelites to create a physical memorial instead of just telling them to remember what He had done?
The number forty is highlighted in the sermon as a sign of transition. How does the crossing of the Jordan after forty years in the wilderness symbolize a shift from one season to another? [26:20]
Joshua placed stones both in the river and on the shore. What might this suggest about remembering God’s faithfulness both during and after a difficult season?
How does the failure of the next generation to know the Lord (Judges 2:10) relate to the importance of intentionally sharing stories of God’s faithfulness? [46:55]

Application questions

What are some specific "memorials" in your life—places, objects, or stories—that remind you of God’s faithfulness in a past season? How can you revisit them regularly to strengthen your trust in God today? [39:44]
In what area of your life are you currently "in the middle of the Jordan"—still waiting, still trusting, still unsure of the outcome? How can you choose to worship God right now, even before you see the resolution? [42:09]
What’s one story of God’s provision or guidance in your life that you’ve never shared with your children (or others in your spiritual family)? How can you intentionally pass that story on this week? [45:37]
Is there an area where you’re still living in an "old season" mindset—relying on past patterns when God is inviting you to trust Him in a new way? What would it look like to release that and step forward in faith? [30:51]
How can you create a simple "memorial" or reminder in your home or routine to help you—and those around you—remember God’s faithfulness in this current season of life?
Who in your life needs to hear a testimony of how God has been faithful to you in a transition? How can you share that story in a way that points them to God’s power and love? [52:39]
What’s one step you can take this week to fix your eyes on God’s presence rather than your uncertainty, especially if you feel like you’re in a wilderness or transition? [19:36]

Sermon Clips

29s

#LeaveOldYouBehind

“And one of the reasons so many of us are struggling right now in the current season is because we keep dragging the old us into the new place that God is wanting to bring us, and the old you can't sustain the weight of what God is now asking you to carry. It could be that the way he provided for you in a previous season is going to look different than the way he's providing for you in this one. That's why we've gotta learn how to navigate and handle these transitions well.”

28s

#DontMissTheMiracle

“And that's understandable. But what I found is that sometimes we can be in such a hurry to get to the other side of our current season that we can miss out on the miracle that we find ourselves in the middle of right now. And God didn't want that to happen with Israel. He didn't wanna just bring them through it. There were some things that he wanted them to take out of it. And so for them, he says, grab some stones that will help you remember what I did for you.”

38s

#RememberHisFaithfulness

“Now, hopefully, you realize what an important role remembering plays in the life of every believer. I mean, this is a dominant theme in scripture. And just to kinda underscore underscore that that point, point, did you know that the command to remember shows up more in the Bible than do the commands such as obey or to do or to not do or to go or even to pray. God says over and over and over again. I want you to pause, and I want you to reflect on my goodness and my faithfulness in prior seasons.”

25s

#GodOfTransitions

“And that could be what the Lord is doing with you right now. You don't see a way forward in your story, and God says, I haven't brought you here to drop you. I've brought you here to provide for you, to bring you over, because he's the God of transitions, and he can be trusted to get you through it. If he brought you to it, you can be sure that he will see you through it. Amen.”

38s

#ModelFaithForKids

“You know, faith isn't genetic. There are a lot of things your kids will inherit from you automatically without you having to do anything. It might be the color of your eyes or the the shape of their nose or the, you know, the way that they laugh or their sense of humor or the contours of their personality. They're just gonna get these things via the transfer of DNA. But one thing they can't pick up genetically from you is is your faith. That's something that has to come as a byproduct of you living it out and then grabbing a hold of it for themselves.”

27s

#HistoryBreedsFaith

“It's not only about reflecting on what was, but it's laying hold of what God did back here to inspire my future faith and my present trust. The idea is this, when you look back and you see how faithful God was in a previous season to another generation, it infuses you with fresh confidence that the same God who met them will carry me through my current season. And that's what it means to remember.”

34s

#PassTheFaithIntentionally

“In just one generation, the faith was failed to be passed on. The knowledge of God was lost. Where did they go wrong? They weren't intentional enough about passing on and stewarding the legacy that they had been entrusted with. And consequently, the next generation was lost. And I think that's what makes moments like this one so profound and so important. You know, we've got, I think, our fifth graders and above are in the room today, and that is by design. I I need,”

27s

#TrustedInEveryTransition

“This is a powerful moment in the lives of God's people. It's a transitional moment in their story. And what the overarching theme of this story is is that God can be trusted in the transitions. God can be trusted in the transitions. That's the first point in our outline if you wanna go ahead and fill that in. And what we have here is a story of God's faithfulness.”

28s

#DontForgetHisProvision

“Why does he tell us this over and over again? Because it's only natural for us to forget. And to prove that point, how many of you have seen God provide for you in a season of your life in the past? You came upon some financial situation, and God showed up. Amen. Look at all those hands. Okay. Subsequently, how many of you found yourself in another tight jam financially after that? First one. Okay. Same amount of hands. How many of you still freaked out the second time? Okay. Amen.”

25s

#CreateYourMemorial

“Because when I think of Tower 32, I think of the baptisms we've held there over the previous decades and the thousands of lives that have been forever changed as they went under the waters of identification with Jesus, and they were submerged one person, and they came up a brand new person. And so it's a sweet and sacred place for us. Amen. But you need to have your own memorials.”

38s

#MemorialsThatSpeak

“There ought to be memorials that you return to in your heart. You know, in that t shirt that Madeleine and Lucas were wearing, it's our fortieth anniversary t shirt. Of all the images that we could have used to to reflect the work that God has done here at Maranatha, we chose the symbol of Tower 32, a lifeguard Tower. Why would we do that? Why not, like, a cross or a drawing of this place? Well, for us, that tower, it speaks of something far more than just, you know, sunny days at the beach or sand and and the seashore. No. No. No. For this church, that place is a memorial.”

28s

#MiddleTransformsYou

“And so too, in the middle of your situation, it might be, I don't know, a new perspective that God is wanting you to take with you into the new season he's bringing you into. It might be a deeper understanding of his grace, a greater appreciation of his love, or a stronger fortitude in your character or in your soul that is going to be needed to walk into the new that God is bringing you into.”

19s

#FixEyesOnTheShepherd

“You know, my only job as your pastor is to get you to fix your eyes on the good shepherd who is still going before us. He is the senior pastor of this church, and our only job is to follow him as he leads us out. Can somebody please say amen? Amen.”

26s

#TakeLessonsFromTheSeason

“You see, might have been in a hurry, and and there were future battles that awaited them, and the walls Of Jericho stood before them. But before they moved on to the next thing, God said, it's important for you to reflect on what I've done in this season, and I believe there's something there for us. You see, as they were going through it, God tells them, I want you to take something from it. Does that make sense?”

31s

#EmbraceLifeTransitions

“Perhaps you too find yourself in a transitional season right now. Maybe you've recently changed jobs, and you're transitioning from one vocation to another, or or maybe you recently moved across the country. I I've talked to several people that have recently transitioned from the East Coast, and now they find themselves living here, and they've found Maranatha. Or maybe it's the other way around, and you're getting ready to move out. Others of you are transitioning from adolescence to adulthood. There's changes happening.”

22s

#MoveForwardRemembering

“So that kinda brings us to this present moment. You know, I I feel like the Lord has gone before us, and he's led us into a brand new season. And it's so exciting to see the things that are happening around here and all the incredible things that God is doing. But as we move into this new season, it's important that we don't lose sight of our past.”

34s

#LeadByFixingYourEyes

“Because just like Joshua, I was a newly appointed leader, and I had no idea where we were going or how to get there. But what I did know instinctively is that it was going to be absolutely critical for us to fix our eyes on the presence of God, and that he hadn't made a mistake, and that he was going before us, and that he would lead us into this new season. You know, that was almost three years ago that I shared that with our staff. And a lot's changed in those years, but Joshua's words still ring true.”

28s

#FromWildernessToPromise

“After forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites are now finally taking their first steps in the land of promise. Think about that. Forty years spent wandering and living a nomadic lifestyle there in the desert. The desert is a dry place. It's an arid place. It's a hot place. The desert is a place where there is not much life. And so to be sure,”

33s

#GodsDailyProvision

“You see, in the desert, in the wilderness, God met his people in profound ways, and he provided for their needs supernaturally. He sustained them during that time with water from a rock. Think about that. Every morning, he would rain down manna from heaven so that when you woke up, you would unzip your tent and step out onto your front patio there. And all over the ground, they're like the dew covering the earth. There would be these little wafer like things that you could that were edible, and it was God's provision for his people.”

31s

#GodMarksTransitions

“Whatever transition you find yourself walking through today, God has given us this story to remind us that he can be trusted in life's transitions. Can you say amen to that? Amen. Now in our story, God decided to mark this significant transitional moment in the lives of his people by doing something dramatic, and that's often the case. For Moses, it was the burning bush. For Jesus, it was his baptism. And here, we have the crossing of the Jordan.”

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Trusting God In The Transitions (40th Anniversary) | Daniel Bentley

Devotional

Day 1: Trusting God in Life’s Transitions

Day 2: The Purpose in Your Wilderness Season

Day 3: Building Memorials of God’s Faithfulness

Day 4: Worshiping God in the Middle of the Miracle

Day 5: Transferring Faith to the Next Generation

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Trusting God In The Transitions (40th Anniversary) | Daniel Bentley

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