| “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” |
| —Joshua 1:9 |
It is very easy to become discouraged. In fact, it really doesn’t take much happening in our lives that produces stress to put us in a discouraged mood. So, how do we lift our spirits?
One day, thousands of years ago, Joshua stood before God and Joshua was very discouraged. His leader, Moses, had died. God had told Joshua that it was he who would lead the people of Israel across the river and into the Promised Land. Joshua was much like us. He didn’t think he was up to the task. In a way, he was right. In and of himself, Joshua didn’t have the kind of power and might that such a leadership role would demand. But, God spoke to Joshua and the words are recorded in Joshua 1:9:
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Each day, when we move out into the world to do what God has commanded us to do, we can remember that the God of Joshua is our God, too. Just as He gave these words of encouragement to Joshua, we can take these words as our own.
So, dear ones, let’s cling to these words of God this day:
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Based on a blog originally posted on Thursday, June 15, 2017
