“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 NIV
In this first chapter of the book of Joshua, we learn that Moses has died, and Joshua has been made the new leader. God’s plans for the Israelites of entering the promised land do not change because Moses has died. The leader changes but the plans do not. Joshua, having been close to Moses, knows what the role of leading the Israelites entails. As he was one of the original multitude that escaped Egypt, he only knew Moses as his leader during the 40 years that the Israelites wandered around the desert and now he is dead. He is therefore understandably anxious or nervous about his new role.
In the verse for today we read about God talking with Joshua and telling him that he is to be courageous and not courageous because God is sending him off to get done what is being asked of him while God does something else, but courageous because he is NOT going alone, God is with him. God had been with the Israelites throughout the entire 40 years that they wandered and He wasn’t going to leave now.
Yesterday the congregation at my church received a new leader. The new pastor spoke about going into the unknown and how even with the unknown being uncomfortable at times and possibly scary, that we need not feel alone, because God is with us. God is with us and her as we start this new journey together to worship God, to invite others into God’s family and to follow God’s will for each one of us.
As you encounter new situations, do you often feel alone or do you cling to God because you know that He is with you always? We all have times when we face the unknown, and each one of us has to make a choice about how we are going to move forward. Are we going to allow fear to stop us in our tracks or are we going to be courageous knowing that God is with us always. The choice is yours.