Be Strong and Courageous: Finding Confidence in God’s Promises
By Dean Collins
Most days I don’t set an alarm. I am a lifelong morning person, and in recent years I usually wake up by 5 a.m. regardless of when I go to bed. I feel like I won the lottery on the rare days I sleep past six and like it is Christmas morning if I make it until seven!
Some weeks I have meetings in the Atlanta area that require me to leave my house by 6:30 in order to make a 7:30 a.m. meeting on the south side of Atlanta. On those days, I do set an alarm and then I set another and sometimes a third just to make sure I don’t accidentally sleep in. The alarms are my reminder so that I can keep my commitments. And almost never am I still sleeping when the alarm goes off!
When we read through the grand story of God, it seems like God placed lots of reminders for us to remember that he is trustworthy and reliable and that he will take care of us no matter what is going on around us. Some verses are like little alarms that go off when we read them, shouting to us that we can fully trust God in every situation.
In Deuteronomy 31 and Joshua 1, God tells Joshua seven times that he should be strong and courageous. Each time there is a reminder of what God will do and/or what Joshua is to remember to do. While these reminders were originally for Joshua, I am confident that you and I are to remember these instructions as well.
“Be strong and courageous…do not fear or be in dread of them, for the it is the Lord your God who goes with you.”
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people into the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it.”
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.”
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them.”
“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.”
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
In the final instruction, the text is reversed, reminding Joshua that those who disobey his leadership will fail, and then Joshua is reminded to simply be strong and courageous.
“Whoever rebels against your commandment and disobeys your words, whatever you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and courageous.”
Reading the Exodus story, the travel years in the wilderness, and the book of Joshua, we can clearly see that Joshua was a strong and capable leader. He led with confidence because he trusted in God to do what he said he would do, and he had personally witnessed God’s power and generosity time and time again. Yet we still see God reminding Joshua to be strong and courageous.
All the reminders may seem unnecessary until we remember a few key points:
1.) Joshua was human just as we are and, therefore, subject to fear and to making mistakes.
2.) The things God told Joshua to do were significant, including moving more than two million people into the promised land. And remember these logistics were managed without any telecommunications!
3.) Joshua was to fight many battles. I may have counted wrong, but I believe Joshua fought thirteen battles after Moses died.
I bet you can relate to the need for reminders from scripture concerning what is our responsibility and what is God’s. Most of us won’t lead military campaigns, but we all will face various struggles and battles. Most of us won’t be asked to relocate two million people, but we will have to navigate the relocation of family from time to time as we follow the job assignments that come to us.
In 16 weeks, I will complete my time as president of Point University, and my successor will take the helm. I think both of us will need these reminders from Joshua. I will need them as I face new assignments at and beyond my work at Point University, and President Bartlett will need these verses as she leads Point University into the future.
Today is a good day to set a reminder from God’s word to remember that no matter what is facing you today and in the future, we would do well to:
Be strong and courageous.
Do not fear or be in dread of what is ahead.
The Lord will go before you and be with you.
Be strong and courageous.
Thank you, Lord, for the confidence that comes to us when we learn to rely on you and your precious promises. Today we will work in confidence because we know that you will fight our battles as we trust in you. In Jesus name, amen.
Your Time with God’s Word
Deuteronomy 31:6-7, 23; Joshua 1:6-7, 9, 18 ESV
Photo by Darren Tiumalu
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