Moses has finished with his last
and final speech. I can imagine it must have been an emotional
moment for him. He has led the Israelites for forty years and even
though he was still as strong as ever, God forbid him to go on with
them into the land promised to them all, due to his disobedience.
So now Moses hands over the leadership to his faithful assistant,
Joshua, to lead the people into their heritage. Now as I thought
about it I realised that Joshua must have been scared. Moses was a
wonderful leader, someone to look up to, a true beacon to them all
and now he, Joshua, need to take over. Moses has always been there,
and now he will have to go forward on his own. He has big shoes to
fill. And Moses knew that Joshua was scared and uncertain and
therefore he encouraged him in front of all the people:
"Be strong and courageous! For
you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to
give their ancestors. You are the one who will deliver it to them
as their inheritance. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord
is the One who goes before you. He will be with you; He will
neither fail you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:7, 8
Joshua received encouragement
through knowing that God will be with him. It was a big task lying
ahead of him, but God will be with him and will lead him. God will
bring about the victory and Joshua will be the vessel.
And if God tells you to do
something today, know that He will be with you too. Jesus promised
that He will with His last words before ascending to heaven:
"Be sure of this: I am with you
always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20
Big tasks might be lying ahead for
some of you. God might be expecting big things from you at this
moment. You have prayed about it and you simply know that God is
leading you in a certain direction. Then I want to encourage you
today. He will be with you. He will lead you and He will guide you.
At the end of the day it was God who gave them the
Promised Land, it was not the might of Joshua as a leader that
brought them victory, no it was God, and he was just the willing
vessel. Remember that when the Jericho walls in front of you might
look insurmountable. God is not expecting you to bring about the
victory, He will do that, you just need to be willing to be
used.
Jesus is right beside you, urging
you on. Don't be afraid and don't be discouraged. Also don't try
and be someone else when assuming the position. Just like God never
told Joshua to be just like Moses, He doesn't expect you to be
someone you are not. Just be yourself, God knows you inside and out
and will use you just the way that you are. All that He expects is
obedience. The rest can be left up to Him.
Thank you Father for choosing us in
the role You want us to play. Please give us the courage to stand
strong and help us in being obedient to You down to the tee. We
want to make You proud. In Jesus' Name. Amen