Wherever you go, He is with you (Joshua 1:9)
As a high school student, this was one of my favorite verses. I was always interested in his story. Given the reigns of leadership over Israel by Moses. Think about that. I’m sure you’ve always heard that it is never good to follow a great leader as the next leader. Instead, you want to be that second person. But Moses was famous. The plagues in Egypt, the Red Sea event, water from a rock, manna from heaven, and the Ten Commandments. Seriously, who wants to follow that?
Even more, will Israel have confidence in the one who follows Moses and follow him? Apart from the supernatural influence of God, it would be a seemingly impossible task. But Joshua held an ace in his hand. Joshua had a life-changing event with Moses that gave him the instruction he needed to succeed as a leader in Israel.
Moses trusted Joshua in the presence of Israel
God told Moses to bring Joshua before the people of Israel and the priest, Eleazar. It was there that Moses commissioned Joshua and gave his approval of Joshua to all those present. This kind of display of encouragement is always a boost to the new leader. Still, Joshua would be new and take over the position of a legend. What a huge responsibility. Joshua served Moses for 40 years and had the privilege of learning so much from him. Even with that comfort and knowledge, Joshua would still be in a new position with new authority.
Joshua trusted God for wisdom
Deuteronomy 34:9 states that “Joshua, the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom. Joshua was a man who loved God, trusted God, and saw Him work through the life of Moses time after time. How could he not be spiritual and love God? God set up Joshua to be ready. Could that be said of you? James 1:5 says, “If a man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God.” Joshua was a disciplined man and definitely loved God. This discipline and love prepared him for the tasks ahead. There were definitely some tough days ahead for Joshua.
Joshua trusted God’s presence
How could he lead Israel apart from some spiritual movement in his life? Joshua trusted God. Joshua had to include God as the focus of his life to succeed as a leader. The first good news event was that God told Joshua that “No man would be able to stand before him all the days of his life” (Joshua 1:5-6). There is nothing like leading with the confidence that God has your back. For Joshua, this was not going to be an easy task, but it would test his trust in God.
I feel like that is the way it is with me every day. Each day I am thrown into situations where I need to make trust decisions. Am I going to trust God through this, or will I trust in my meager abilities to get things done? How do you respond to those situations? What kinds of situations demand trust decisions?
God assured Joshua that His presence would be with him. Joshua was going to be successful because of God, not because of Joshua.
That is my question to you and me today. Are we spiritually disciplined in such a way that we seek the Lord daily and rest in His presence in our lives to accomplish His purpose? If not, how can we change to live in that reality?