“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)
A great mountain towers up before Joshua. He is to lead several million people into a foreign land. For 40 years he has witnessed how they have complained and grumbled again and again, and has probably seen more than two million funerals. Now the step into a land that was full of fortified cities and teeming with idolaters and brutal giants.
It is easy to imagine that Joshua must have thought: “I can’t do this, Lord. I’m absolutely not up to this task!”
But the Lord always gives just the right and appropriate encouragement. He gives exactly the strength that is needed for the next step: the promise of his help.
It is very interesting that although God promises Joshua that he will be successful in conquering the land, the encouragement not to be afraid is not linked to this. God does not say, “Don’t be afraid, Joshua, everything will go smoothly”. No, Joshua’s fearlessness should not be based on the prospect of victory – of everything “going smoothly” – but solely on the reality of God’s presence. “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). In the midst of sickness, existential worries, suffering due to emotional wounds, etc., this is the constant on which our fearlessness also rests.
Applied to us – God does not say: “Don’t be afraid, because you will succeed in the difficult business meeting”, or “Don’t be afraid, because you will get a good grade in the final exam” or “Don’t be afraid, because you will quickly overcome the illness” or or or. Rather, as so often in the Bible, he encourages us: “Don’t be afraid, I am with you in your difficulties!”
“Anxiety does not take away tomorrow’s worries, but it does take away today’s strength.” (Alexander Maclaren)
Three examples from the Bible are intended to show how the Lord encourages believers with the promise “I am with you” in the face of the great mountain before them:
- Joshua facing the challenge of a new, great task (Josh 1:9).
- Solomon faced the challenge of building a house for the Lord (1 Chr 28:20).
- Jacob faced with the challenge of hastily leaving his familiar surroundings (Gen 28:15).
Jacob, who later in his life had to struggle with fear so often, also receives a “universal promise” from above: “Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:15).
Charles H. Spurgeon comments on this incident as follows: “When God says, ‘I will keep you,’ we are in no real danger. This is a blessed passport for a traveler and a heavenly escort for an emigrant. Jacob had never left his father’s roof before: He had been a mother’s son and not an adventurer like his brother. Yet he went far away, and God went with him. He had little baggage and no companion, yet no prince ever traveled with a more splendid bodyguard. Even while he slept in the open field, angels watched over him, and the Lord God spoke to him.”
“Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” (Ps 61:2)
The Lord Jesus is telling you today: “You don’t need to be afraid of the mountain that is piling up in front of you. I will go with you every step of the way; I will be there for every little detail of the challenge ahead of you!”
