Strong & Courageous Times Four

Coming in from star gazing this evening thinking how different I feel tonight than I did over a month ago on the same porch, I decided to read through all of Joshua 1, not just verse 9 before bed. Immediately, I was caught by the words in verse one.

“After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide . . . “

These first five words, “After the death of Moses,” have much more meaning to me today. Even while they succinctly describe the setting, they resonate with my heart greatly as I face this season with a similar phrase in mind.

The words here are a reminder that it wasn’t easy for people to move forward without Moses - after years of his leadership, support, friendship and more. I expect many hearts ached from this great loss and through it, God kept reminding them to trust him and to move forward in confidence – to not be afraid. A reminder that he walked with them!

I decided to count these reminders. In 16 short verses, God reminds us to be both strong and courageous four times. It’s a mantra worth repeating and one that I too must repeat. Of course, it’s not my own strength that I have to rely on in this season but God’s. This strength is way better than my own - especially since I feel a bit weak and anything but confident.

This truly was the bedtime pep talk I needed. "Thanks God!"

It is such a joy and encouragement to be covered in prayer and to be reminded of God’s truth as I anticipate hard days ahead. As I continue to weave through a story that is different than before I know God has good in this, these small (and big) reminders help bring clarity and focus once again.

And because it's worth repeating: 
Only be strong and courageous!”