Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you have people in your life that support your spiritual growth? People around you that can be an example of strong faith in God. People who are a testament to God's faithfulness in their lives. People who can show you what it looks like to follow Jesus with a steadfast heart. It is so important for us as believers to surround ourselves with others that can be an example of what it looks like to pursue God, because there's going to be times where we're feeling weak or we're feeling low, where we're questioning or we're struggling or doubting, and we can turn to the people around us to give us confidence, to give us hope that God is still moving. Well, that's exactly what we're going to learn about in our verse today.
A Powerful Moment in Israel's History
Our Verse of the Day comes from Joshua chapter 1, verse 9. "This is My command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
This a powerful moment in the history of Israel. For 40 years, they've been wandering through the wilderness with Moses as their leader. Now, we've learned that Moses has died, and Joshua is the one who is going to be leading the people of Israel into the Promised Land. I want you to think about everything that might be going through Joshua's mind in this moment.
Through all the highs and lows for 40 years, the people have turned to Moses as he turned to God. For 40 years, he's watched Moses perform miracles through the power of the Spirit. For 40 years we've watched Moses intercede on behalf of the people. Now, in one of their most daunting moments, they're not going to be turning to Moses anymore. They're going to be turning to Joshua. That has to be a terrifying thought for this leader.
God's Command and Promise
I'm sure God knew that. He tells Joshua to be strong and courageous. He's telling him to be confident in this new position. It's easy to say that to somebody. But what gives Joshua confidence in this moment? Well, it's that this command to be courageous is also met with the promise that God would be with him wherever he went.
I hope that we all hold fast to the promises of God. But let's be honest with ourselves. It's easy to know the promises of God, but it's a whole other challenge to actually believe in the promises of God—that they will come to fruition, that every promise in Him is yes and amen. There are plenty of hard times that I've had in life where I turn to the Scriptures to see the promises and wrote them down over and over. I highlighted them, I memorized them, but I still questioned, is this promise true? Is God with me wherever I go?
The Witness of Moses
It's very possible that Joshua could have been feeling the same feelings, and I'm not guessing at that. It's because what we see in the verses before our verse today is God reminding Joshua that the same promises He was making to him, He had made to Moses—that He was with Moses wherever he went, that He was going to go before Moses, that He was going to lead him into victory. Joshua could not only look to God as he placed his faith in Him, but he could look to Moses as a witness and a testimony to God's faithfulness and His power.
Surrounded by Believers
This is why it's so important we surround ourselves with other believers so that we could see how God is working in their lives, and then we can take a step back and go, okay, I can have confidence that God is also working in my life. Be a part of active Christian community. Surround yourself with people of the faith because even when we're discouraged or we're afraid, God is on the move and He's using us to remind each other of that powerful truth.
