On this trip each of our girls has had to overcome a fear. The older two girls had to overcome their fear of falling and have now become good climbers on our hikes. The youngest has had a fear of putting her head under water, but tonight, she overcame her fears and dunked her head under water.
Each one of us carries with us something that we are afraid of. For some, it is a big thing. For some others, it is a small thing. Joshua, the great Israelite leader, who followed Moses, had a huge fear. How do you replace a leader like Moses? He tapped a rock and water flowed. He parted the Red Sea so that 2 million plus Israelites could walk on dry land, then let the water flow again so that the Egyptian army drowned. He talked with God face to face, and brought down the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, for crying out loud!
I love the way that God deals with that particular leadership transition. He tells Joshua to “Be strong and courageous.” Then He has Joshua gather the Israelites and they tell Joshua to “Be strong and courageous.” In fact, that phrase, “Be strong and courageous,” is repeated four times in chapter one of the book of Joshua. Joshua did great things, too. He lead the conquest of the Promised Land. He parted the Jordan River. And gave each if the Tribes of Israel land, to name some accomplishments.
Are you afraid of something today? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9b
James
AKorDian 