“Be
strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses
gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be
successful wherever you go.” “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 1:7,9
Let me set the scene.
Moses had died. Joshua, his aide,
was given the task of leading the Israelites across the Jordan River into the
land God had promised them. The above 2
verses are from the beginning of the book of Joshua and are God’s words to Joshua
himself. Think about what was happening
and you will understand why Joshua was told to be strong and of good
courage. After wandering the wilderness
for 40 years the people of Israel were about to go into unchartered land. They would need to cross the River Jordan,
then spread out and occupy the new land God had promised them. Joshua wasn’t
preparing to go across the Jordan alone.
He was responsible for leading the entire nation of Israel across.
How does this translate into our day and age? Throughout our lives we encounter some pretty
daunting tasks. If we obey God’s word
and stay focused on Him rather than the task at hand, we will be
successful. Impossible isn’t a word,
it’s only an excuse for someone not to try.
Nothing is impossible for God and by extension nothing is impossible for
anyone associated with Him. We are not
to allow ourselves to be afraid or discouraged at anything that confronts us,
for God is with us in the form of the Holy Spirit and will be with us anywhere
and everywhere we would ever choose to go.
Your call is to stay focused on the problem solver rather
than the problem and remain calm. Nothing
will ever defeat you if you leave everything to the Lord. Follow the path He has charted for you and
never doubt Him, for God never fails.
Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
NOTE: The Jordan River is a major water source that flows through
the Jordan Rift Valley into the Dead Sea. The Jordan only reaches 20 yards
across in some places, and its deepest point is around 17 feet. [The Jewish Virtual
Library – link: http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/geo/jordanriver.html]
