Daily devotional · May 18
Be Strong and Courageous
“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.””
Joshua stood at a threshold. Moses, the only leader he had known, was gone, and a land of unknown challenges lay ahead. God's repeated command is to be strong and courageous. That courage is not built on Joshua's résumé; it rests on a promise: the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. In between, God gives one steady instruction, to keep his word close and to meditate on it day and night. Courage here is not the absence of fear but obedience while afraid. Notice that the reading of Scripture comes before the conquering. Today, identify a step you have been postponing out of fear, such as a hard conversation or a new commitment. Read a short passage of Scripture first, ask for God's company, and then take that step, however small.
Prayer
Lord, be with me wherever I go. Give me courage to take the next step and a heart anchored in your word.