"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
Have you ever noticed that this is not a request given to Joshua, but a command? I hadn't. I've read it for years, memorized it and taught it to my children to memorize... especially in recent times... but it wasn't until I was lettering it that I realised that it is given as a command- 'Have I not commanded you??" Wow! Not in an angry Dad voice, but the voice of a loving Father, reminding us. And then, he tells us why- the promise that He wil be with us wherever we go.
Last week I felt led to read Joshua. God spends a lot of it telling Joshua to not fear. To not be afraid. That He is was with him. Something else that stood out to me was in Chapter 3 as the Israelites were finally about to cross over into the Promised Land, after 40 years of wandering in the Wilderness, they faced the Jordan River. The bible says it was flooded. Overflowing. I'm sure they were afraid. God told Joshua to tell the priests to carry the Ark of the Covenant and stand in the flow of the flood. As they did, the water stopped flowing and dried up- just like when they crossed the Red Sea . My bible says the priests 'stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan' . As they stepped out, the sands around them and under them were shifting but The Ark of the Covenant carried the presence of God- they carried the presence of God with them and they stood on firm ground. We no longer have the Ark of the Covenant. Instead, WE carry the presence of God. The Holy Spirit now lives in us.The One who brings peace and comfort. We need not fear when things seem to come against us. No matter the shifting sands and the shaking around us, our feet stand firm on dry ground. We anchor ourselves with hope to an unshakeable God in an unshakeable kingdom.
As the Israelites left the Wilderness behind, they surrended their fear for faith, and crossed on dry ground , into the Promised Land. The place God had been preparing for them, the place they were always intended for. May we do the same as God leads us forward into the very things He has been preparing us for x
Overwhelming Grace keep you x
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