These words, “be strong and very courageous”, were given to Joshua after the Israelites lost Moses. God chose Joshua to lead His people into the land He had promised them. He was directed to be their new leader. As exciting as that possibly was for Joshua it had to also be daunting.
He was tasked to not only lead the children of God into their promised territories, but to lead them to first take possession of this land. God knew how this act of obedience by Joshua would bring the Israelites face to face with more danger and evil. Repeating Himself three times to Joshua with being strong and courageous, God also encouraged him to not be afraid. He then promised He will be with him wherever he went.
When the Lord chose to encourage Joshua like this it meant the task before him required strength and courage. And it also required the Lord to be with him in it.
I clearly hear these words to be strong and courageous being spoken over some in His church right now. This also means that what task He’s putting before us will require us to not only remain close to Him and fully dependent on Him, but also to step into strength and courage.
Whenever I hear the Lord encourage me to be courageous and strong, I know this will mean that what is coming in my direction as a result of my obedience will have the potential to tempt me to want to retreat and fall back in fear. And in order for that to not happen, I also know that I will need to lean into the Lord more so so that I will have what I need to do what He is placing before me to do.
More often than not, when God puts an assignment before us it will require us to walk outside of what feels comfortable for us. And in venturing into the unfamiliar and/or the uncomfortable we need to choose to have a heart that the Lord encouraged Joshua to have, a heart full of strength and courage. We can choose these attributes knowing that God promises to be with us in it.
Obedience to God is not always the easy path. It does not always produce the results we prefer to have. Just look at the path of obedience our Lord walked down. His obedience led to His death and resurrection as was foretold in the Old Testament, yet it pleased God to provide us salvation from His Son’s obedience.
Sometimes obedience to the Lord, like with Joshua and the Israelites, stirs up old enemies and surfaces new ones. And it can be hard to see what God is doing within that task or what He desires from our obedience. Yet, because God has led us down this path, He remains with us in it and will see to it that we will be victorious.
Those seasons of my life that required more from me in order to be obedient to God and to face whatever that heartfelt obedience brought with it, were also the sweetest seasons that brought me the joy of being closer to Him and more of an understanding of His ways.
I have set the Lord always before me;
because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Psalm 16:8
If you hear these same words, be strong and courageous, then trust Him fully to be close to you as you walk out faithfully and obediently what He’s placed before you to do. Don’t retreat, don’t give up and in time you will see how He is using your obedience for your good and His glory.