Joshua 1:9 Hae I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
There is nothing more comforting in times of high anxiety than knowing God is with me. Knowing He cares and is there to bring me through the times of uncertainty is encouraging. Though I still tend to worry, I know that He is there and has a plan for my life (Jeremiah 29:11).
The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for forty years. The entire generation that had been brought out of Egypt had passed and were not entering the Promised Land. Those who would be crossing into this new land had all been born in the wilderness and had never known anything but a life of desert living and wandering. And finally they were being instructed to move forward with the plan God had for them. It had to be frightening for them, especially knowing they were going to have to take the land from established people who inhabited it already. And that meant war. It is no wonder they needed encouragement like that of verse 1:9.
Though this verse was a promise from God to Joshua and the Israelites that was meant to encourage them, this promise can also encourage us today. God has a message for us that is as timely today as it was in those early days of conquest. He wants us to be strong and courageous in our walks and He doesn’t want us to be fearful or anxious. The Apostle Paul makes that clear to us in his words to Timothy. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid…” (2 Timothy 1:7). We can take comfort in knowing that both Joshua 1:9 and 2 Timothy 1:7, both Old and New Testament passages, encourage us to be strong and courageous, free from fear and anxiety.
In addition, we have the same promise in both the Old and New Testament that God is with us always. We do not walk alone. He walks with us, sustaining us and encouraging us, and sometimes carrying us when we can’t do it ourselves. Matthew 28:20 echoes what Joshua 1:9 says – God is with us always. He will never leave us nor forsake us.
Let go of the anxiety that is holding you back. Reach out your hand and let God lead you forward to the destiny prepared in advance for you.
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