Drafted with AI assistance, then reviewed, edited and approved by Jeff Robb. Scripture is quoted from the King James Version.
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Key passage: Joshua 1:7-9 (KJV)
7 Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. 8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. 9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
Reflection
The book of Joshua begins with a funeral of sorts. Moses my servant is dead, God says. For forty years Moses had led the people. Now the job falls to Joshua, and in front of him is the Jordan River and a land full of walled cities.
If anyone needed encouragement, it was Joshua. And in these few verses God tells him three times to be strong and of a good courage.
But notice what God connects that courage to. Be strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law. Joshua's courage wasn't only for the battlefield. It was courage to obey. To turn not from it to the right hand or to the left.
Then verse eight. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Joshua was a military leader with a nation to look after. And God's plan for his success started with the word. Reading it, speaking it, thinking on it day and night.
To meditate in the Bible's sense isn't emptying the mind. It's filling it. Turning a passage over, the way you'd turn something over in your hands to see it from every side. Coming back to it through the day.
Then comes the heart of it. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
The reason for courage isn't that Joshua was strong. It's that God was with him. Courage doesn't mean the fear disappears. It means fear doesn't get the last word, because someone greater is going with you.
That promise wasn't only for Joshua. The letter to the Hebrews picks it up and gives it to every believer. He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
Whatever is in front of you today, a hard conversation, a new job, a diagnosis, a temptation you need to stand against, you don't face it alone. Fill your mind with His word. And be strong and of a good courage, because the Lord your God is with you whithersoever you go.
Cross-references
Prayer
Lord, You know what is in front of me today and what makes me afraid. Fill my mind with Your word, and give me courage to obey You. Thank You that You are with me wherever I go, and that You will never leave me nor forsake me. In Jesus' name, amen.
For today: Choose one verse from today's passage, carry it with you, and meditate on it through the day.