"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 ESV)
Today the Bible study group I lead finished a study called "Fool-proofing Your Life" by Jan Silvious. It's a study that isn't about changing the people in your life who act foolishly but rather it's a handbook that pulls God's words regarding wisdom together and gives a Christian tools for survival in this crazy world we live in.
I don't know about you but sometimes and some days this world just seems to be meaner than others. Sometimes, I feel as though I'm swimming in a pool of sharks who are ready to eat me alive. Sometimes I wonder if I'm the fool and that everyone else around me has been given information that I just don't have or maybe that I speak a completely different language than other people....Do you??
Tonight a young friend, Hope, posted this beautiful Scripture on her profile on Facebook. It's one of my favorites and the story of Joshua is one that gives me hope in the face of a fierce storm of spiritual warfare...
Another devotional writer commented on this passage of Scripture and drew out that God was telling Joshua - YOU be strong -- because Joshua was the man to take the Israelites into the promised land and it wouldn't be easy.
Have you ever considered that God may be telling you to be the strong one in your situation? Have you ever considered that you may be the only one who is listening to Him? Have you ever considered that God may be preparing the way for you to lead others into a promised land of His choosing?
I'm asking myself these questions, too. I wonder why things happen that I don't understand -- and I most definitely wonder if I'm the foolish one at times. The truth is, though, that God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts - so there are things that will happen in our lives that are unpleasant and people who cross our paths who will hurt us deeply but if God encourages us to be strong and courageous, then He is aware that we will face these things...and wants to be the source of our strength, comfort and courage.
I've learned through lots of pain and hurt in my own life that God is truly the only source of comfort that is dependable. I'm learning that to try and please man is really a useless endeavor. People are fickle and can be so self-serving even in the name of Christianity. I'm also learning that trying to serve two masters is completely impossible -- as God says it is -- to try to please God means to trust Him, love Him and place Him first in all things -- to try to please man means to avoid upsetting them, feed their egos, or become something you're not to be who they want you to be...and even that won't be good enough in the long run -- so it's really impossible to do long term.
Yes, we should be kind. Yes, we should love our neighbors as ourselves and forgive those who hurt us. Yes, we should strive for excellence in all that we do. Yes, we should be good stewards of the gifts we've been given. And yes, we should be aware that part of the process of becoming more like Jesus involves suffering rejection from man....
The key is to be strong in the LORD - not in our own strength...Be of good courage ...in God's faithfulness...Do not fear man....revere God who is all powerful...and do not be dismayed....God is our source...and He will never leave or forsake us -- His children....
Tonight I particularly needed to read those beautiful words in Joshua 1:9....and in writing about it, my soul was encouraged -- by God...
Father, I pray as this world gets meaner, that we, your children, will find our strength and courage in You alone. As people lash out in their own frustrations and issues, may we, your children, remember who we are and how You see us as your beloved. As circumstances war with our souls, may we find peace in knowing that this isn't home and that Heaven awaits us for all eternity. May we seek You and find You and trust You with the outcome of our situation...for You are the Author and Finisher of our faith....In the Holy Name of Jesus...Amen.
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