Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Have you ever been asked to do something that scared you? Maybe it was something that you just didn't feel like you were prepared for. In some of my earlier years of ministry, I was serving alongside my best friend. He was leading the middle school group and a high school group, and I was just there to support. Honestly, I was just there to hang out with people that I cared about.
Over time, I grew a deep passion for serving in the youth group. I remember, the day came where my friend was going to only focus on the high school group, and that meant that somebody needed to lead the middle school group. The church leadership tapped me on my shoulder and they said, hey, you've been here. You've been faithful. We think you have a calling. Would you like to lead this group? If I'm being honest, at first I thought, no. I thought, this is so scary. What if I mess these kids up? What am I supposed to do? But I felt like God had encouraged me to step forward in faith and see where it led me. I was terrified, if I'm being honest with you.
Moses Passes the Mantle to Joshua
In Deuteronomy 31, we see this passing over of the mantle from Moses to Joshua. Moses is telling the people of Israel that he's not going to make it into the Promised Land, and that Joshua would be the one leading them forward. I want you to think about all the range of emotions that might come up in a moment like that.
Moses has been leading them for 40 years. Even with the highs and the lows, they've learned that they could trust him. I mean, God even gave Moses the opportunity to start over with new people through Moses, and Moses prayed on their behalf. This is a guy who loved them and cared so deeply about them. Their biggest battles were ahead, and he wouldn't be there with them.
Then Moses gives them these words that we read in our Verse of the Day today. Deuteronomy chapter 31, verse 6, Moses says, "So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."
Where Do You Turn When You're Afraid?
Think about how you manage your fear. Where do you turn to for stability when you feel like you aren't qualified to do what's being asked of you, when you're scared and confused? What you turn to really matters, because there's going to be these opportunities to find ways to just mask our fear, to just fake it till we make it. Let's be honest, how many times do we actually make it instead of just finding ourselves constantly having to fake it?
There are things that we can turn to. There are ways that we can overcome our fear and be led into courage and confidence. I want you to ask yourself, do the things that I turn to—are they simply distracting me from my fear, or are they destroying my fears? When we embrace God's love, we're told that perfect love casts out all fears. It's not that we're simply covering it up and ignoring it. It's that fear is driven away. It is destroyed and removed from our lives.
God Goes Before You
I leaned into leading the middle school group, and I remember that first camp that I led all on my own. I was scared. I had so much fear. I wanted to panic. I wanted to scream. But I remember sitting, on one particular night—we had just done worship. I had given a teaching and we broke up into small groups, and I was sitting in this small kitchen with a group of kids and talking with them, and I was praying with them. Honestly, I don't feel like they were hearing a single word that I had to say. So, I just sat there quietly and I prayed, and I just pleaded for the Lord to do something miraculous. Nothing happened.
It wasn't until years later that I was talking with one of the students that was at that camp, a student that when I met them, didn't want to give me the time of day. They actually ignored me when I would try to invite them into the youth room. They were recalling some fond memories, and they said, you remember that winter camp? That first one that you led. You remember that small group we were doing in the kitchen? She said, that's when I gave my life to the Lord.
I was absolutely speechless because it was a time that God reminded me so beautifully: it's not about what you can do. It's about who I am and what I can do, so let Me go out before you. Let Me lead My people into salvation and redemption. That’s exactly what He did.
Maybe God is calling you to do something that scares you, something that you don't feel prepared for. But God equips those that He calls. He wants to use all of us powerfully, and so trust that He goes out before you. Pray for Him to work mightily, and then celebrate every moment where you see God come through.
