Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
9 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.”
We face a new year with new challenges. Some of them are daunting. In many cases, you seem to face these challenges alone. Or do you? Do you ever walk alone? If you are a person of faith, you never walk alone. The Lord your God goes with you wherever you go. He makes the crooked places straight. He levels out the peaks and valleys. He watches your back. Just as He promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He will go with you. He loves you. He wants what is best for you.
Joshua was Moses right hand man. He was faithful to Moses and did everything that was in his power to support God’s chosen leader. At the end of his life, God told Moses he would not enter the Promised Land. Moses had led the Children of Israel (Jacob) for 40 years but it was time to prepare a new leader. Joshua was that leader. As Joshua stepped into the role of leading more than two million people, I am sure he was a little nervous. So the Lord God spoke with him to reassure him. If you listen carefully, He still speaks today.
The Lord wants to lead and guide you. He wants to go with you. But first, you have to invite Him in. He is a gentleman. He would not enter your life without an invitation. Revelation 3:20 says “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” God will abide with you. That means He will live in your heart! If God be for you, who dares be against you? Now go out there and face the world knowing who you are and whose you are! Be strong and courageous!
Lord, You promised to go with us. At times, we are scared. We can’t see you nor feel you. By Your Spirit, make Your presence known. Give us the confidence to be strong and courageous. Help us to walk in Your ways shining Your light into the darkness. Cause us to be a blessing to those we meet. In Your name we pray! Amen!
Christ before me; Christ behind me; Christ beside me; Christ within me!