Daily devotional · August 3
Strong Because He Is With You
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall give these people the inheritance of the land that I swore to their fathers I would give them. Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do. Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””
Moses is gone, and Joshua inherits a huge task. God repeats one instruction three times: be strong and courageous. But the reason is what matters. Courage here is not a personality trait or a pep talk; it rests on the promise that the Lord will be with him wherever he goes. God also points him toward the book of instruction, telling him to keep it near and to think on it day and night. Steady courage grows out of a steady habit of listening. As you read Joshua 1:9, notice that fear is not treated as a sin, but as something God answers with his presence. Whatever new responsibility is on your plate this week, you do not carry it alone. Today, choose one short passage to read again this evening before bed, and let it be the first thing you turn over in your mind tomorrow morning.
Also read
“Have I not commanded you to be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.””
Joshua 1:9
Prayer
Lord, be with me in every task I fear. Teach me to rest in your presence and to keep your word close to my heart.