Today’s meditation is taken from Joshua 1:6-9, Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (ESV)
1. Be strong and courageous in the responsibilities God has entrusted to you
When God spoke to Joshua, thrice He emboldened him to ‘be strong and courageous.’ The first time God told Joshua to be strong and courageous was because he would cause His people to inherit the land that He had promised to their fore fathers. Joshua had the huge responsibility to inherit the land, and divide it among the people, and hence God wanted him to be stout hearted. I think that Joshua must have doubted if he could accomplish this great task that God had entrusted to him, and the Lord who knew his heart had to assure Joshua to be strong and courageous.
Remember that when God gives us a responsibility, He also equips us with strength and courage to fulfill the same. Often times we get overwhelmed when we think of all the responsibilities that are handed over to us. There are responsibilities with regard to the family, obligations at work place, so also we have certain responsibilities toward society and at church as well. We may be in doubt as to whether we can accomplish all of these responsibilities laid upon us. Let me remind you that it is God who has given us all of these responsibilities, and the Lord therefore encourages us to be dauntless. We are not to grow weary and be afraid of these responsibilities. There are many children who want to give up, and not continue with their studies. Be assured to know that the God who gives you the responsibilities will also give you the strength to complete the same.
Job’s testimony
Job said it this way in Job 23:14, “He will fulfill what he has planned for me; that plan is just one of the many he has;” (GNB)
We all know that the problems, and calamities that came upon Job were innumerable. Even his wife despised him, and asked him to curse God and die. In the midst of such enormous hardships, Job was able to say that God was able to fulfill all that He had planned for his life.
This should be our resolve too, and this is the reason why we need to be courageous in the midst of all the challenges we face. While we may be discouraged, and want to give up, we should be resolute to believe that God will give us strength and courage to go through. The words of God to Joshua hold for every one of God’s children. God’s word reassures us that irrespective of the challenges that we may face with regards to the responsibilities entrusted to us, remember that God wants us to be strong and courageous because He will never leave us or forsake us.
Elijah gave up
Even the prophet Elijah who was a mighty prophet of God spoke this way.
We read in 1 Kings 19:4, Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. "It's too much, LORD," he prayed. "Take away my life; I might as well be dead!" (GNB)
The Prophet Elijah had won a major victory on Mount Carmel, and displayed the wondrous glory of God to the people. Soon after when Queen Jezebel threatened Elijah with a message that she would have him killed, Elijah fled for his life. He sat down under a tree, and wished that he would die.
There are many who like Elijah despair of their lives, and are wishing to die. The word of God reminds us that God will not tempt us more than we can endure, and that He will give us strength and courage to carry on.
When Elijah gave up, God did not and these were the words of God to Elijah as recorded in
1 Kings 19:15-16,The LORD said, "Return to the wilderness near Damascus, then enter the city and anoint Hazael as king of Syria; anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king of Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet. (GNB)
To the one who gave up on life, God gave the task to go, and anoint three important people whom God had chosen.
It is crucial that none of us should pray that God should take our lives. There are many senior people who pray this way. If God has kept you alive on this earth remember that He did so because He has a purpose to fulfill through you. Until you complete that, you must ask God to help you remain faithful and strong.
2. Be strong and courageous to obey the word of God
We read in Joshua 1:7, “Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.” (ESV)
The second area where God told Joshua that he would have to be strong and courageous is to do everything according to the law that God had given to them through his servant Moses.
Often times the word of God, and the counsel of the world are in contradiction. When faced with difficulties, the world will offer us a solution, we as children of God have the obligation to read the word of God to find out what God has to say to us. Only then we will have victory, but for that to happen we need God’s courage in our hearts.
Let me share a good example from Joshua’s life. As Joshua and the people proceeded into the Promised Land, the city of Jericho stood unyieldingly before them. The walls of Jericho had to be brought down as they stood as a hindrance for the Israelites. At such a time these were God’s instruction to Joshua.
Joshua obeyed and triumphed
We read in Joshua 6:3-5, “You shall march around the city, all the men of war going around the city once. Thus shall you do for six days. Seven priests shall bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark. On the seventh day you shall march around the city seven times, and the priests shall blow the trumpets. And when they make a long blast with the ram's horn, when you hear the sound of the trumpet, then all the people shall shout with a great shout, and the wall of the city will fall down flat, and the people shall go up, everyone straight before him.” (ESV)
Joshua who stood before this formidable city of Jericho was not an ordinary man. He was a mighty warrior, who had won many battles, and was one who had strength and wisdom. However, when God counselled him to go, and walk around the city once a day for six days, and then to walk around the city seven times on the seventh day, for the walls of Jericho to crumble, Joshua did so though it sounded illogical. If Joshua had to strategize, he may have had to expend much strength and energy to win that battle. Since Joshua obeyed God without a question, God gave them an astounding victory.
Only when we obey the word of God implicitly can we too experience victory in our lives. The counsel of God, and the counsel of this world as I said earlier are oftentimes in total contrast. Interestingly, the Jericho that we encounter today are those people who have received much good from us, who have now turned against us, heap accusations at us, and we have no idea how to deal with them. These are those whom we loved and helped a lot. If we were to deal with such people in a worldly way, we can repay them back in the same way they treated us, but that is not God’s way.
Do it God’s way
These are God’s word and ways as found in Romans 12:17-19, Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (ESV)
There are three important points that we take note of in these verses mentioned above. The first one is that we are to repay no one evil for evil. This is really tough for when we find that someone spoke ill of us, our tendency is to run them down as well. We do this knowingly or unknowingly. Let us decide to do good to everyone, no matter what they have done to us.
Secondly, the word of God teaches us that if it is possible, we should live at peace with all people. This implies that sometimes this may not be a possibility with some people, and God knows that. There are many who are giving tit for tat, and even those who are believers, are struggling trying to sort things out with their own strength.
Thirdly, God reminds us that it is in His hands to avenge those who do wrong. The bible is clear that every man will reap what he sows. Let us keep on sowing peace wherever we go. Have you noticed how we often seek to justify ourselves, but instead let us wait on the Lord. Our knowledge of anything is limited, but the Lord know the minutest details of everything that happens, and He will give justice to His own. Though we live in this world we must not deal with our difficulties the worldly way, but rather handle them the way God wants us to. If we do so, we will experience tremendous victory without having to expend any energy on our part. Often we find it hard to remain silent, but we see that only when we do so, God will come to our aid and be our avenger.
3. Be strong and courageous because God is with you
We read in Joshua 1:9, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (ESV)
Here Joshua was encouraged to be strong and courageous because in the midst of all the circumstances, hardships and trials, he may be tempted to doubt if God was with him, but God assured him that He would go with him wherever he went.
As children of God when we go through trials and hardships, we often wonder if God is with us and if so why we have to encounter such challenges. It is in those times that we must be strong and courageous and confess that God is with us, for He will certainly turn things around for our good.
God was with Gideon
A great example from the Old Testament is from Judges 6:12, And the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” (ESV)
These were the word of God to Gideon. In the days of Gideon, the Midianites attacked the Israelites and plundered them. This made the Israelites weak and helpless. At such a time the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, and encouraged him with these words, ‘The Lord is with you.’ It was not that God was going to be with him, but rather that God was with Gideon already. The angel also called him a mighty man of valor.
This was Gideon’s response to the angel of the Lord as found in Judges 6:13, And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? (ESV)
Gideon had been so focused on the situations that surrounded them that he could not perceive how God could be with him in the midst of all of these hardships.
Situations change and our problems are new and unexpected, so also our emotions change accordingly. The one thing that will not change is the word of God. When God promises something know that He will be faithful.
Though God gave this assurance to Joshua we know that because of one small mistake that took place at Jericho, when the Israelites went to war against a small city of Ai they were badly defeated. When this happened we see that Joshua tore his garments, put ashes on his head and prostrated himself before the Lord.
You may have faced some failures in your life, and this may make you feel that God is no longer with you. Remember that God is faithful, and what He has said remains forever.
May God help us to be strong and courageous to fulfill all of the responsibilities that he has entrusted to us. We also must be strong and courageous to live according to the word of God and obey God no matter what the world dictates to us. Also we must be strong and courageous to know that God is with us in the midst of all of life’s hardships and difficulties.
Let me conclude with this verse from Hebrews 13:5, Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (ESV)
God assures us that He will never leave us nor forsake us, and He will grant us victory, success and peace in every situation that we encounter.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
