The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9
The State Fair was one of those events I loved to go to as a child. The smell of fattening fried food, footlong corndogs, greasy fries, and those elephant ears would cause my parents to go broke every year. But, the thing I loved most was the haunted house. I knew I could go in there, but I never went alone. I believe it was something about people touching me and scaring me by jumping out and surprising me. But there was no way I would go in there alone. Yes, I was scared, had no courage, no fearlessness, and no trust in anything to protect me.
So if my sister wasn’t up to it, we just went into the glasshouse instead. The two things don’t compare.
Today we look at a similar situation with Joshua. God handed the reigns of leadership in Israel to Joshua, and he now gets to assume command of the people. But God had a few things he wanted to encourage Joshua with before beginning this next chapter in his life.
Be strong by resting in the Lord
When the Lord encouraged Joshua to be strong, it was not an ordinary strength. The word for strength is a word that means beyond average or expectation. The Lord was telling Joshua to get in the game and show this exceptional strength that could only come from the Lord. This kind of strength could only come from the presence of the Lord. And Joshua needed strength for the journey the Lord planned for him, and he could only achieve this by resting in the Lord.
Be courageous by resting in the Lord
Courageous is the idea of not flinching in the face of dangerous circumstances. Sometimes we flinch when we prepare ourselves for inevitable defeat. Joshua would face challenging battles and even lose one along the way. But that should not change the fact that the Lord wanted Joshua to approach his new life and position in a way that showed no wavering, but stable and steadfast leadership.
Be fearless by resting in the Lord
No one can operate in a position of terror or dread and be successful. Again, this kind of fearlessness is only available when resting in the Lord for it. In our world today, we face so many things that could terrify us if we allow them to consume our every thought and action. But, I don’t believe that is how the Lord designed us to live. God tells Joshua and us both to operate in a state of fearlessness. If a person is strong and courageous, then fearlessness is the next logical character trait.
Be encouraged by resting in the Lord
The Lord tells Joshua here not to be downhearted and lowly of spirit. It is so easy to do that because that is where most of us want to live. We feel if we are dungeon dwellers because of life’s distractions and difficulties, it will somehow make all things better in the long run. The problem is that this is a false reality.
The Lord wants us to live an encouraged life. A life that honors the Lord will also be a life that is encouraged and encourages others. There is no doubt that it is easy for your spirit to sink to the lower places. But, with the Lord’s presence in your life, you cannot help but to be encouraged at the joy He wants to bring you. Allow it to happen. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you that joy. Live in the joy!
The Lord your God is with you
Finally, the Lord puts it together with Joshua and tells him that the “Lord your God is with you.” This encouragement is interesting because God establishes two ideas. First, He says that the Lord is with Joshua. There is something incredibly comforting when you realize the Lord is with you. He never leaves you or forsakes you (Hebrews 13:5). What a great promise. But the Lord goes one step further and gives us the reason for His interest in Joshua.
The Lord says that He is Joshua’s God. There it is — the missing piece of the puzzle. There is no way that Joshua could live a life of strength, courage, fearlessness, and encouragement, apart from knowing and completely trusting the Lord. Joshua, obviously learning from Moses, understood the importance of resting in God’s care for him. Trusting the Lord and resting in Him is one trait that we can all pass down to others.
When others see us resting the Lord, it can be an encouraging thing.