Be Strong and of Good Courage

Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Joshua 1:9 (KJV)

I was sitting at my desk this morning, trying to get a grip on the fact that I am about to begin another week of work, and my mind began to wonder. Before I let it get too far away from the day and the tasks at hand, I decided to check the local news. When the website finished loading, I noticed it was filled with bad news, negativity, and doubt. Not happy with the result I found, I decided to check one of the national news sites. Sure enough I was met with the same information that could easily create fear and uncertainty.

Determined not to let this information create fear in me or make me upset, I decided to get back to work. However, while I was working, I began to think about this virus that is controlling our news and creating uncertainty and fear in the hearts and minds of many people. I began to wonder about times in the past when people were faced with difficult times such as the Vietnam War era, the Great Depression era, the Civil War era. Then I began to think about troubled times during the days of the Bible. Two of these instances really stuck out in my mind as creating confusion, doubt, and fear.

The first time that stuck out was when Moses the leader of the Israelites had died. This story is told in Deuteronomy 34 and the 1st chapter of Joshua. The Israelites had not entered into the promise land and they were looking for answers. The questions they were asking were who will lead us, will God stand true to his promises, are we going to die, and what do we do now? I am so glad that during this confusion that God had a plan. He had been preparing Joshua to replace Moses. In Joshua chapter 1, the Lord calls Joshua to lead the people into the promise land. I am sure Joshua was scared because of the trials they were facing and the death of Moses and was probably having the same thoughts as the people. However, in verse 9 of Joshua chapter 1, the Bible tells us, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goes

t.” This had to bring comfort to Joshua. In verse 5, we read that God told Joshua that He was with him and he will not fail or forsake him. Joshua was able to lean on these truths and lead the people into the Promised Land. The people learned that Yes, God does keep His promises. They also learned that God can and will make a way.

The second time that stood out to me was right after Jesus was crucified. I can only imagine the thoughts going through the minds of the disciples. What do we do? Are we going to die? Will God keep his promises? These questions are only a few that I bet they thought on. However, just like in the confused times of Joshua, God had a plan. Little did the disciples know that Jesus would raise from the dead. Little did they know that right in the middle of their confused, scared time that the King of Kings would perform his greatest miracle. Little did they know that when life seemed hopeless, HOPE would show up strong. Jesus left this earth shortly afterward, but left the disciples a promise. He promised He would not leave them alone or comfortless. He promised he would send the comforter. John 14:16 tells us that not only would the Comforter come, but that He will abide with us forever. God had a plan, even in a time when it seemed like the world was in chaos and confusion.

Many of us are thinking like the disciples and the Israelites today. We are nervous, confused, scared, and don’t know what to believe. Well I am here to let everyone know that God has not changed. He is still in control and He has a plan. It is a time for us to act as Joshua did and know that God will not fail or forsake us. We do not have to be afraid because God is with us. Just as the disciples did, we have the Comforter today. Do not be afraid, we have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!!! He will not leave you nor forsake you. The Victory is in Jesus Christ. Now you may think that just because God told Joshua that, it doesn’t mean that He would also do it for me. However, He will because He loves and cares for you. God does not change. He is the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8) and God is not a respecter of persons (Romans 2:11). What He promises to one person, He promises to all. Today we claim the Victory over doubt and uncertainty because of the promises that God has given us. Be strong today and of a good courage for He is with us wherever we go and HE WILL NOT FAIL US.