Be Strong and Courageous

“Be strong and courageous… Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1: 6, 9. That was a part of God’s speech to Joshua before he entered the Promised Land. I had just finished Joshua and have started reading Judges but that passage stuck out to me, imagine how Joshua feels, he has spent his whole life in the desert and has done whatever Moses told him to do, but now Moses has died and it is his job to lead the Israelites into the Promised land. Not only that but he must be successful in his military campaigns and is in charge and has to make sure the Israelites obey God’s law. What a job! Sometimes we have a lot on our to-do lists, whether it is work, school, sports, whatever it is stuff can pile up in our lives. And also sometimes that can get in the way of our relationship with God, but God tell us something here, we are to be strong and courageous. We are to face our trials and not be discouraged for God is with us. No matter what comes our way, no matter how hard the wind tries to blow us down God is there giving us strength, as Psalm 46:1 says “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”