January 11th, 2023 - Strong and Courageous

PAUSE
Good morning! As we begin a new day with the Lord today, I want to invite you to join me in asking the Lord to meet with us this morning. Let’s quiet our minds and hearts before him, surrendering anything else that is competing for our attention in these moments. Move to a quiet place, be still, close your eyes, and take several deep breaths. Pray with me, inviting the Lord into this space to speak to us and change us through his presence and his truth.

“Meet me, O Christ, in this stillness of morning. Move me, O Spirit, to quiet my heart. Mend me, O Father, from yesterday’s harms...let me enter this new day, aware of my need, and awake to your grace, O Lord.”

REFLECT
Today, we read in Joshua chapter 1:

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites. 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. 6 Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 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 1:1-9

Joshua 1:1-9 is an incredible reminder that the Lord intentionally invites us up and into the places he wants us to go and that his invitations to us always come with a promise and a challenge.
 
I can’t get over the way the Lord words his invitation to Joshua in verse 2: the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. This invitation from God is a pivotal moment in both Joshua’s story, and in the lives of the people of God; much like God called Moses through a burning bush in the wilderness, He now calls Joshua to lead His people into the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering in the wilderness just outside of their promised destination! This invitation was 40 years in the making!

The Bible tells us that after God brought his people out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, the Israelites quickly forgot God’s miraculous works and unfailing faithfulness; when things got hard on their journey, they grumbled against Moses and against God, wishing for the familiarity of slavery, over the uncertainty of the adventure God was leading them on. Though God never failed to provide for his people time and again–providing refuge from terrible plagues in Egypt and commanding the elements to lead his people on their journey with a cloud by day and fire by night, the Israelites failed to trust God for provision and ultimately failed to believe He could give them victory over the people inhabiting the Promised Land. Because of this, He required them to wander in the wilderness for 40 years–the entirety of a generation died in the wilderness without ever reaching the Promised Land. But Joshua had been one of two spies out of 12 who believed that God would do what he promised, that if God had said he would give his people victory, they could count on it; he was willing to go on an adventure with God, no matter how unlikely the outcome seemed!

And now, after 40 years of preparation in the wilderness, the time had come for Joshua to lead the people into the Promised Land. God called him up out of the wilderness and into the purpose and plan he had for him; He invited Joshua into deeper intimacy with Him and greater reliance on Him as he stepped into the greater responsibility of leadership. For years, Joshua had watched Moses on his adventure with God, then he served alongside Moses in the wilderness, waiting for what God had promised, and then, God asked him to be willing to lead.

God invited Joshua into this new adventure, not with details of what the journey will entail or with a battle plan, but with a promise and a challenge. In verses 3-5 God promises both the gift of the Promised Land (wherever you set foot will be on land I have given you) and he promises the gift of His presence with His people (I will be with you…I will not fail you or abandon you). Coupled with these incredible promises, accepting this invitation seems like a no-brainer! But, this adventure will not be without its challenges.

In verses 6-9, God issues several challenges to Joshua. First, he tells him three different times to Be strong and courageous (v. 6, 7, 9). This is an acknowledgement that the way may not be easy, but that strength and courage will be necessary on the journey and will be possible, because of God’s presence with him. Then, He issues a challenge that is directly linked to the success of the mission: 7 Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. Do you see the significance of this challenge? God tells Joshua that he must consistently study and obey His instructions, the law given to Moses, and only then will he be successful. Although the gift of the land is the result of God’s promise, possession of it was conditional on meeting the challenge. Possessing the land would be accomplished in tandem with Joshua’s journey of greater intimacy with and reliance on the Lord. What an adventure!

ASK
Sit in this moment with the Lord and ask what it is he is calling you up and into today. What is it he has been preparing you for in the wilderness? Where is he calling you to accept a challenge in order to go deeper in your relationship and trust in Him? Is he calling you to disciple a younger believer? Is he asking you to lead a small group or serve in children’s or student ministry? Is fear or uncertainty holding you back from accepting God’s invitation to a new adventure with Him?

YIELD
Once you have asked the Lord what his invitation to you is and what challenge you might need to accept to answer that invitation, spend time sitting quietly, surrendering to Him. Close your eyes and breathe deeply. As you breathe in, say, “I surrender to you.” As you breathe out, say, “I trust you.” Surrender to the Lord any fears or resistance you may have to accepting his invitation and the challenges that come along with it. Ask him to help you trust him and walk in bold courage and obedience.

Pray: Jesus, thank you for the plans you have for me; I want to follow you wherever you lead me. I surrender my will to yours and I trust you to use me for whatever you will. I want to go deeper in my relationship with you; help me to be strong and courageous and to consistently study your Word so that I can obey you and lead others to a greater understanding of who you are. I love you, and I’m yours. Amen.