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| New Beginnings can be hard but with the Lord there is strength Rev 21:5 |
Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you
shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give
them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe
to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not
turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever
you go. 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but
you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to
all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then
you will have good success. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage;
do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your
God is with you wherever you go.” (Jos 1:6-9)
My heart trembles only so slightly until it rumbles into a violent
stir. What if it does not happen for me...what if, all I have ever believed in
is a lie...what if I fall flat on my face...what if I never get married...what
if no child ever calls me Mum...what if the load I am called to carry is too
heavy...what if no one listens...what if no one follows…what if the ministry
does not work...what if….
How do I begin again when all
strength has left me…how do I fight a war ahead with enemies that I cannot even
see…how do I face the unknown with strength and courage…How….
As I wonder into the world
of "What if" and crippled in the planet of "How", I
jump in rather reluctantly into this beautiful book of Joshua. The Lord in
total God fashion, reads my thoughts just like He read Joshua's thoughts
many years ago. Moses is dead, that is Joshua's reality, his mentor, his rock, his strength, his God on earth is dead. As if that is not enough, he is charged with the
insurmountable task of leading a million plus people into a new land. these
people are not easy to lead as we have seen in the long book of Exodus. How
does a man like Joshua, jump into the shoes of the greatest leader who ever
lived (Deut 34:10)?
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| Sometimes our strength comes outside of us, Isa 45:2-3 |
He doesn't...God comes to
him and speaks words of life, words of affirmation into his life, words of new
beginnings. He speaks to Joshua, "Be strong
and of good courage....be strong and very courageous that you may observe all the Law...then you will have good
success...Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid...". If
this was all God said, then it would not have mattered but He knew that just
commanding Joshua to be strong was not enough He needed to assure Joshua that
just like He had been with Moses He will be with him. God needed to give a
personal promise of not only His presence but His provision. "...no one shall be able to stand against you all the days
of your life...for the Lord your God is with you wherever
you go.”
Then Joshua resurrects from
the "what if" world into God's world, he strengthens his knees from
the planet of "how" into the universe of "God is able", a universe
where all things are possible (Mat 19:26). He looks to the God who had revealed
Himself to him so many times before and then rises with strength from above
and declares to Israel..."Prepare
provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this
Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the Lord your God is
giving you to possess".
My trembling heart quiets within the same embrace of God's word, because
I see even so clearly that just as God was with Joshua, so will He be with
me...I rise from my world of "What if" and climb the eagles wings of
my God, with strength from above, with courage from above, fearless
because I am reminded that I am not alone, I am with the great I AM, He is able
to walk with me in and through it all.
This command to
obedience and the assurance of God's presence has been levied on God's
people all through History as He calls them;
He said to Moses "Now go to
Pharaoh" and tell him to let my people go (3:10), I will go
with you (Exo 3:12) to Joshua He said "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" (1:8) and
"I shall be with you wherever you are"(1:9). To David He said, I am your shepherd and I lead you to provision and
security (Ps 23), to Jeroboam the first king of the divided kingdom of Israel,
the Lord promised a blessing over his life and kingdom if he adhered to these
words, "If you do
whatever I command you and walk in obedience to me and do what is right in my eyes
by obeying my decrees and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as
enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you". (1 Kgs
11:38). The Lord also declares this truth to
the nations as He did to Israel through His prophet Isaiah—(Isa 43:1-3a)
But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O
Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by
your name;
You are Mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the Lord your
God,
This lullaby promise is for
you too, it is for all those who have decided to follow God's Messenger, God's Deliverer, like Israel followed Moses and Joshua into God's promised resting
place of security and provision. This promise of New Beginnings is possible
only through a strength and courage that comes from God alone. It is our
inheritance too, because we follow and have put our faith in
God's ultimate deliverer Jesus Christ (2 Cor 5:17).
That is why before Jesus
ascended into heaven He spoke the same words of His presence always being with
us, admonishing us to follow His commands. “If you
love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. (John
14:15-17)
So through the pages of
History our God has never left us and has promised to be with us always,
reminding us the whole time to stay safe in the comfort of His commands, which
are not burdensome (1 John 5:3). He says New Beginnings are always possible in
Him.
Be comforted my dear beloved,
like Joshua listening to the battle song of our God. Even when the odds are
against you, remember He will NEVER leave you and He will lead you to and
through the path of His bidding only Be Strong and Courageous. Obey His word by
the grace He abundantly supplies, ask Him for strength to move forward, to start again and He will answer (Jer 33:3), providing you with great success in this life
and in the life to come...Now this is true comfort for the soul.
He gives power to
the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. Even
the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall. But
those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They
shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They
shall walk and not faint. (Isa 40:29-31)
