Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
I’ve often heard that the Lord will never give you more than you can handle. I think that statement is only partially true. The truth is that the Lord helps us with everything we experience. Think about those times when you felt like you couldn’t take any more. Your world collapsed, and you were at the end of your rope. You were at the cliff, ready to jump. You just couldn’t take it any longer. I believe those times are when God tries to get our attention and softly tell us to rely on Him for everything. I like to call it the Pray, Plan, Rest, and Reap plan. We pray about a specific thing in our lives, plan that particular activity, rest in God’s provision and activity to help us through it, and then reap the rewards of trusting Him with it all.
Today we’re introduced to the plans God has for Joshua, a young new leader of the Israelites. God’s plan for him is to take the Israelites into the Promised Land.
God’s Presence Gives us Strength
As a new leader, Joshua needed to hear those words. He experienced times when his strength failed. No matter how strong a person is, when their strength is gone, they cannot think straight or accomplish the tasks ahead of them. But Joshua was instructed to be strong because the Lord was with him. ThisGod’s presence makes all the difference.
Whenever you face uncertainty or difficult days, remember that you can be strong in the Lord. What does that mean? It means that whatever the Lord calls you to do, He will give you the strength to complete it. That’s good news for Joshua, and that’s good news for us. We can be strong because God’s presence will never leave us.
God’s Presence Gives us Courage
There will also be times when we want to throw in the towel because the odds are not in our favor, or the road simply looks too rough and challenging. Be courageous. It’s easy to focus our attention on Satan and all of the ways he is willing to get in the way of God’s success through us. However, our courage is also not something we manufacture. It is the result of an intimate and growing relationship with the Lord. We can be courageous because God’s presence will never leave us.
God’s Presence Gives us Security
Sometimes traveling the journey God sets before us is scary. I’m not going to lie. The battles may be massive, and enemies may rise against you. Don’t give in to those who want to destroy your faith and experience with the Lord. He is good, and His mercy and grace go way beyond anything Satan throws our way to scare us. We can be unafraid because God’s presence will never leave us.
God’s Presence Gives us Confidence
The Lord does not want us to live a defeated life. He wants us to be supremely confident in His power, love, mercy, and grace. He is all we need. We can’t possibly live a dismayed life and still have confidence in the Lord. I’ve been through some very dark days and quickly ran the path of being dismayed and feeling sorry for myself. As Christ-followers, we don’t even need to live in that world. We are better than that. We have a superior source of power that gives us confidence when the world seems to fall apart. We can be confident because God’s presence is with us.
While these instructions were for Joshua, I believe they are just as applicable to us today. We can be strong, courageous, unafraid, and confident regardless of our situation in life. I know that it may be difficult for some of us to comprehend, much less experience. But it’s true. When we trust the Lord with our circumstances, He is faithful to provide for us (Psalm 135:13). Do you realize how important this promise is to us? “He is faithful to be with us wherever we go.”
How does this truth change your outlook today?
God’s presence is one of His greatest gifts to us.