Passage: Joshua 1:1-14:15
We can do amazing things when God is with us.
“This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
{Joshua 1:9}
If ever there was a person that had reason to be afraid, it was Joshua. He had inherited the daunting task of leading the grumbling, rebellious, Israelites into the Promised Land. As if that weren’t enough, he was also responsible to clear the land of nations that were already settled there…nations much bigger and stronger than Israel.
So the Lord spoke.
“Don’t be afraid, be strong and courageous.”
“I will go with you. I won’t abandon you.”
Like Joshua, I have charge of a {sometimes} grumbling and rebellious little clan. Daily, I am in a battle to protect them from the enemy of their souls and bring them one step closer to the “promised land” of salvation. And, apart from the knowledge that the Lord is with me, my heart would be faint and my resolve weak. Who am I kidding, even knowing that the Lord is with me I still get scared and overwhelmed! I feel Joshua’s pain when rebellion rears its ugly head in my 5 yr old, or my {almost} 2 yr old decides to engage in a battle of the wills.
But as the Lord reminded Joshua time and time again, he reminds me.
“Don’t be afraid, be strong and courageous.”
“I will go with you. I won’t abandon you.”
And the stength comes.
And the fear subsides.
And God moves in ways that truly amaze me.
That’s such a great reminder, Lisa. No matter what the circumstance, remembering the Lord is with us thru the thick and thin of things, and having the availability to draw our strength from Him in time of need is simply wonderful!