Joshua 1:5, 9 NKJV
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
One of the distinct things I can remember about growing up is how safe I would feel when my dad was around. No matter how dark it got, I felt safe as long as dad was around. The possibility of an intruder never scared me as long as dad was around. I never had to worry about provision as long as dad was around. It did not matter what crisis arose as long as dad was around I was confident he would sort it out. Come to think of it, till today though I have my own children, I still feel the same way when dad is around.
God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous and that He will never leave him nor forsake him. In fact God tell Joshua this twice and the same promise applies to believer today. When Jesus left He promised to send the Holy Spirit who would be with us forever.
God calls us for a mission but He loves us so much that He is present with us when we are fulfilling the mission. When you really think about it, we get fearful and discouraged because we do not really believe that God is with us and that He does not leave us. That is why we make statements like “I don’t feel God anymore”
What would you do if you had the guarantee that God was with you 100 percent? The all knowing all powerful God with whom nothing is impossible? What kind of things would you attempt? Would you ever be discouraged? Would you ever give up? Would you ever get discouraged?
If you and I would attempt things we have never attempted, things we are afraid to do now, then most likely though we say it, we do not really believe that God is with us always never to leave us or forsake us.
Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
