Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
The above passage is one of my favorite verses! God is speaking to a man named Joshua who has just taken control of the nation of Israel in order to claim the land God promised to give them. The Israelites have just spent forty years wandering in the desert, and Joshua is one of two living members of the generation which had left Egypt at the beginning of the journey.
Up until recently, this group had been led by Moses, who was given the ability to perform miracles to prove that God had sent him and to convince Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Even though Moses was God’s chosen leader, the people didn’t always follow willingly – thus forty years to go a distance that would normally have taken eleven days. Joshua had been Moses’ assistant, so he had a front row seat to the difficulties of leading these people. Now Moses was dead, and the baton had been passed to him.
I imagine the weight of what lay ahead for both him and the people of Israel lay heavy on his shoulders. There would be battles to fight, decisions to be made, disputes to arbitrate, and logistics to manage. It must have felt like a crushing burden. Have you ever felt like the weight of the world rested upon your shoulders? I know I have. That’s why this verse is so important to me.
In this verse God is speaking directly to Joshua, but I believe He speaks this verse over all His children who feel overwhelmed. Let’s take a closer look at what He says:
Have I not commanded you?
This is a rhetorical question. God has commanded His people to not allow a spirit of fear to deter them from His path. The most frequent command in the Bible is some version of “Do not be afraid.”
Be strong and courageous.
God wants us to rely on His strength and step out boldly in faith to accomplish His purposes.
Do not be terrified;
There it is – the most frequent command! I am citing the NIV version of the Bible. Other versions use words like afraid, frightened, fear, or alarmed. I sort of like the NIV translation. God can conquer even that which terrifies us.
Do not be discouraged,
The ESV translation uses dismayed. I like both words. God doesn’t want us to lose hope or be confused.
For the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Why should we not be terrified, discouraged, or confused? Because we are never alone! God is with us every step of the way!
What do you feel God calling you to that is outside your comfort zone? For me, it’s this blog. I often put off working on it until God’s voice in my head is impossible to avoid. He reminds me that this isn’t a choice – it’s a command.
Why do I hesitate? Why do we all hesitate when called to do something uncomfortable? Fear. Fear is probably Satan’s most used weapon, because we don’t recognize it as an attack. We think it’s coming from our own hearts for our protection. That’s why we have to be strong and courageous. My fear is being ridiculed or despised for my views. What is your fear? Give it to God and move forward with His plan for your life. He will carry you until you can follow on your own. He will never abandon you. Like Joshua, God will bring you to the Promised Land.