Posted by 
Photos above are from Mount Nebo
Imagine Joshua is standing with Moses, looking over the Israelites with whom he has journeyed with, the high’s and low’s, the times of need, and times of miraculous providence. Joshua turns to Moses and must have thought; ‘How can I take over from you? You have pretty big shoes for me to fill. I am not like you, I don’t lead like you, I don’t feel as strong as you, I don’t have the same history as you…how am I going to do this without you?’ He must have had a lot of different emotions flooding his mind. Thoughts of overwhelm, feeling ill-equipped, weak, with the inability to do the task ahead. How often do we feel the same – especially the overwhelm. Have you stood at a situation, a battle, a decision and simply thought ‘I cannot do this’. ‘I am not strong enough’, or ‘surely there is someone else’. In Deuteronomy 31:6 Moses is about to die, and so summons the Israelites together for his last words of wisdom and advice. He explains they are about to inhabit the land of Canaan, and then says to them:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6
And then in front of all the Israelites, Moses turns to Joshua and says similar in Deuteronomy 31:7-8:
“Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Moses then commissions Joshua at the Tent of Meeting (Tabernacle). During this commissioning, God tells Joshua to ” Be strong and courageous, for you will bring the Israelites into the land I promised them on oath, and I myself will be with you.” (Deuteronomy 31:23). After reciting a lengthy song, and pronouncing blessings on the different tribes, Moses climbs Mt Nebo, surveys the promised land of Canaan, and dies there. Scripture tells us that God himself or the angels buried him in the valley of Moab.
The photos above were taken from the top of Mount Nebo, looking out across what would have been the Promised Land of Canaan.
The next few verses describes that Joshua is filled with the Spirit of Wisdom, because Moses had blessed him. He is camping near the banks of the Jordan River, poised ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. God gives Joshua the same command that Moses gave him, in Joshua 1:6, repeated in verse 7 and again in verse 9 to “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)
Four times (five times if you count the command to the Israelites), Joshua is reminded of this. The first time from Moses, then three times from God himself. When God repeats himself, it makes us sit up and take notice. From there Joshua did lead the Israelites to enter Canaan, and inhabit the land. Another cool thing we read in scripture, is in Joshua 1:18, the Israelites repeat that same command (“So be strong and courageous!”) back to Joshua. A few times in my life I have had students repeat back to me promises from scripture that I have shown them! It is humbling and a beautiful thing. It must have encouraged Joshua no end!!
When we are feeling overwhelmed, or faced with a big situation or challenge, repeat to yourself these promises. “Do not be afraid or terrified, be strong and courageous, the Lord goes before you, he will never leave your or forsake you. He will be with you, do not be discouraged.” Reword by saying “I am not afraid, I am not terrified, I am strong and full of courage. The Lord has already gone before me. He has not left me, He will not forsake me. He is with me, I am not discouraged!”
Exodus 14:13 is another favourite of mine in times of difficulty or chaos. The Israelites are faced with the Red Sea and Moses encourages them with the following:
“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”
Sometimes in our chaos we need to simply stand firm, stand still in the Lord. Wait for His deliverance. The LORD will fight for YOU! Claim the promise of deliverance against your thoughts, your situation, temptation, and your emotions. Stand firm through it, solid in the rock that is Jesus. Our fortress and deliverer. So today, do not be afraid, repeat the promises over and over until you believe it. Give it to God, dwell in His presence and you WILL get through.
Life by the Word 