Be Strong and Courageous
I am currently studying the book of Joshua. In chapter one, the Lord commands Joshua to be strong and courageous four times. Three times in the space of four verses! The fourth time it’s the Israelites who charge him to be strong and courageous.
It’s not an unfamiliar charge. I’ve heard it many times before and you can even hear that phrase “Be Brave” in popular culture. But what I noticed was that the charge to be strong and courageous was connected to an action. In verse 6 – Be strong and courageous – for you will distribute the land I swore to their ancestors….. verse 7 – Be strong and very courageous to observe carefully the whole instruction my servant Moses commanded you. And in verse 18 – the Israelites say to Joshua – we’re going to follow you as we followed Moses – be strong and courageous.
Joshua needed courage and strength because the task of conquering the land was going to be hard. The Lord promised them success if they followed His commands, but they still had a lot of hard work ahead of them Joshua needed courage and strength to observe carefully all the instructions in the book of instruction Moses had given him! No easy task to shepherd the Israelites and make sure everything was done according to the Word. Joshua was going to need strength and courage to lead this people -who had a history of rebellion, grumbling and complaining.
How could Joshua and the people of Israel enter this land – to claim their inheritance- when the task would seem overwhelming? God said they would succeed because – He would not leave them or abandon them (vs. 5). They would succeed if they followed all the instructions of His word(vs.8) and He would be with them wherever they went (vs.9)
So, is this command just for Joshua as he leads his people? No – it’s for all of us. In Deuteronomy 31:6 – Moses tells the entire nation of Israel to be strong and courageous. In 2 Chronicles 32:7 – King Hezekiah tells his people to be strong and courageous in the face of an imminent attack from their enemies. In Psalm 31:24 – David says, So be strong and courageous, all you who hope in the Lord. And it’s not just for Old Testament saints, for Paul, in his final instructions to the church in Corinth says, “Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.” (I Cor. 16:13)
Often, what the Lord is asking of us is hard – it requires strength and courage. It takes courage to move forward after the loss of a spouse. It takes strength and courage to care for ailing family members when theprognosis is grim. It takes courage to face abuse from the past. It takes courage to share your faith with an unbelieving friend. It takes strength and courage to live with integrity when doing so is costly. It takes strength and courage to remain at peace and continue to trust in a world that is full ofchaos, noise and sin.
At the heart of this is that we will have the strength and courage we need to be successful in all that God is calling us to do if we follow Him (which requires that we are in His word and continue to grow in our knowledge and understanding of it- but that’s a topic for another day).
As I step out in faith to do what he asks of me – the Lord has already gone ahead to prepare the way, is with me as I go and He follows behind. I can’t do it without him and somehow, in the economy of heaven, he uses me to accomplish His purposes and plans and I get to go along with the ride and share in His glory.
I don’t always get this right – there are times when I don’t say the thing I think I should say or do the hard thing I think I’m supposed to do. So – when I realize it – I confess it. And going forward, it makes me more determined to get it right the next time.
So – what is it that you’re facing today – what hard thing requires more strength and courage than you can muster in yourself?