Daily devotional · July 5
Courage Is Not Alone
“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.””
God tells Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. If someone repeats an instruction that often, it is usually because the listener is afraid. Joshua had just inherited Moses' job and stood at the edge of a land full of unknowns. Notice the reason God gives: not because Joshua is talented, but because the Lord will be with him wherever he goes. Courage in the Bible is rarely a feeling of confidence; it is the decision to move forward while trusting a companion who cannot be seen. The passage also points him to the Book of the Law, to meditate on it day and night. Direction and courage travel together. Today, think of one step you have been postponing out of fear, a conversation, a decision, an apology. Read a short passage of scripture first, ask for God's company, and then take the step.
Prayer
God of Joshua, go with me into what I fear. Make me brave because you are near.