God’s presence gives us courage and strength to face new challenges, assuring us that we are never alone as we step forward in faith.
Some of us walked in today with a smile for others and a storm inside. You’ve been staring at a calendar date that scares you. There’s a chair at the table that sits empty. There’s a decision lurking in your inbox with your name on it. Life does that. It brings us to riverbanks we’ve never crossed, with people we love watching and waiting, and hearts that thump a little louder than usual.
That’s where we meet Joshua. The mentor who had always been there was gone. The sand was still warm from yesterday’s footsteps. The water was still wide. The task was tall. You can almost hear the hush as Joshua stands with a million responsibilities and a handful of questions. Then God speaks, and He gives more than a map—He gives Himself: “As I was with Moses, so I will be with you.” A promise, bright as morning. Presence, close as breath.
Maybe you’re standing on your own riverbank. A new beginning. A hard ending. A calling that feels heavier than your shoulders. Your knees may knock, your confidence may wobble, but listen—God’s presence is not a whisper in the wind; it’s a promise that holds. Before He calls Joshua to courage, He anchors Joshua in assurance: “I will be with you. I will not leave you.”
What if that same assurance settled in your soul today? What if your white-knuckled grip on outcomes loosened because the God of Abraham, Moses, and Joshua has His hand on you? What if your confidence grew, not from applause or achievement, but from the nearness of the Almighty? Hear this simple, steadying word for uncertain hearts: God goes with His people. He speaks, He stays, He strengthens.
And when He calls us to be strong and courageous, He shows us how. He points us to His Word for guidance, to prayer for power, and to obedience for the next faithful step. As Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminded us, “Prayer is beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul.” —Martyn Lloyd-Jones. If that’s true—and it is—then today is not about finding bravado; it’s about finding God near enough to put steel in our spines and peace in our pace.
So let’s listen now to the very words that steadied Joshua and can steady us. Take them personally. Put your name in the margins of this promise. Let them wash over weary minds and worried hearts. And as we read, ask quietly: Lord, where are You calling me to stand tall, step forward, and trust that You are with me?
Scripture Reading: Joshua 1:1–9 (KJV) 1 Now after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD it came to pass, that the LORD spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, 2 Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. 3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. 4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. 5 There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. 6 Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. 7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Opening Prayer Father, thank You for speaking through Your Word and for standing with Your people. Some of us are at the edge of new banks with knees that shake and hearts that ache. Steady us with Your promise. Make us strong because You are near. Teach us to live from what You have said, to yield every anxious plan to Your wise hand, and to walk with courage—mouth filled with Your Word, knees bent in prayer, feet ready to obey. Comfort the discouraged, awaken the distracted, lift the weary, and draw us all closer to Jesus. Give us ears to hear and hearts to respond. Be glorified among us. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
We often move through life measuring ourselves. We gauge worth by tasks, trophies, and how well we did this week. Joshua 1 trains our hearts in a different way. God sets the tone. God speaks first. God gives the frame. Life with Him starts with what He says He will do, then asks for our step. That steady shift changes the whole way we carry weight, make plans, and face the day.
Listen to the cadence of the passage. God keeps saying, “I give.” He marks out land. He sets borders. He ties the future to His own promise. Before Joshua moves a foot, God has already drawn the map and pledged His help. This is not vague hope. It is concrete. It names places. It claims ground. It reaches back to the oath made to their fathers and pulls it into the present. The people have history with God, and now Joshua stands inside that long story. He is not inventing a mission. He is receiving one. The soil under his feet will be a sign that God keeps His word. Every step will be a reminder that grace was there before effort. When God commits Himself, He gives more than comfort. He gives a solid base for action. Pressure lifts from Joshua’s chest because the outcome rests on God’s faithfulness. Work still lies ahead. Battles still must be fought. Yet the tone is set by promise, and promise makes room for peace.
Courage in this chapter is not hype. It is not a louder voice or a tougher face. It is the calm that comes from knowing you do not stand alone. God assures Joshua that no enemy will finally stop the work. He says He will be there. He says He will not abandon Joshua in the middle of the task. That word settles fear. It breathes strength into tired bones. It slows panic. It steadies the hand that holds the sword and the pen. It also puts responsibility in the right place. Joshua must lead. He must make choices. He must face people and problems. Yet he does so inside a promise that will not snap under weight. That is why the call to be brave appears again and again. It is tied to a Person who does not move when the ground shakes. When your heart hears that, boldness grows. Not wild boldness. Clear boldness. The kind that says, “God has spoken. I will take the next step.”
Notice how God directs Joshua to keep His word close. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth.” That means Scripture is meant to be spoken, prayed, and shared. It moves from lips to life. Then God says to think on it day and night. That is steady, regular reflection. It is like breathing. It fills the mind at dawn and lays on the heart at dusk. As Joshua speaks and thinks on God’s commands, he will know what to do. He will see the path more clearly. He will recognize lies faster. He will make decisions with a clean conscience. The promise and the practice go together. God pledges help, and God shows how to live inside that help. Success here is shaped by God’s definition. It is fruit that comes from trust and obedience. It is progress that grows from slow, steady attention to what God has said. When the word stays near, worry loses its grip, and choices line up with truth.
God also gives very clear guidance about fidelity. “Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left.” That picture is simple. Stay on the path I set. Do what I told you. Do not add. Do not wander. Do the next clear thing. Joshua’s assignment includes leading people, dividing land, facing conflict, and building a settled life. None of that is random. Each piece sits under God’s authority. So obedience becomes a way to rest in God’s promise while taking action. Each step says, “I trust what You said.” Each boundary respected says, “Your wisdom is better than mine.” Each hard choice made in line with Scripture says, “Your way leads to good.” Over time, that kind of steady faith forms a people who are stable and fruitful. It forms leaders who are humble and firm. It forms homes that hold together when pressure builds. And it keeps the heart tender, because the heart keeps hearing and doing what God has already spoken.
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