The Weekly Word - A Devotion for the Week of June 19
Do not be afraid, God is with you every step of the way.
God tells us to not be afraid multiple times throughout the Bible. If God repeats a phrase or a command multiple times, it probably means we should try and apply it to our lives.
In the first nine verses of Joshua 1, we read that since Moses has died, his assistant, Joshua will be the one to lead Israel to Canaan since Moses can no longer do so. Joshua is now a trusted servant of God, and the people of Israel are looking to him to lead them.
We all need encouragement in our lives. The command, “Be strong and courageous,” is there for a reason. Even a great leader like Joshua needed God to encourage him to act boldly in a time when people needed hope. God saw that Joshua needed to be reminded that the Lord is with him wherever he goes; like Joshua, we also need that reminder.
God tells Joshua that He will be with him, which tells us that the people of Israel will be victorious, not because Joshua is a great leader, but because God is a great and faithful God. When he promises something, he keeps those promises and we should rejoice in that.
We as believers can find both peace and strength in God’s presence. God’s presence helped Joshua when he was faced with an intimidating task. Joshua is human, just like us, and needed encouragement from the Lord to follow God’s command.