Be Strong and Courageous!

I've been reading through the Bible chronologically, and yesterday I finished the chapter of Joshua. It's been pretty cool following along with how the Israelites received the promised land. Even though they turned from God over, and over, and over, he kept on loving them and giving them another chance (not to say he didn't punish the people who needed punishment, because he certainly did that). In Joshua the stories of many battles and how the Canaanite cities were captured are recorded. Imagine going into someones homeland and just taking it over. If I'd been one of the Israelites, I know I'd probably have been wondering, "Isn't this kind of risky? I mean, we've been living in the middle of no where for 40 years. We probably aren't nearly as prepared as the people living in those cities!" Some of those people were huge- both in size and number. BUT the Israelites were not alone! They had God on their side! He promised them, "...the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." One thing that really stood out to me was the repetition of one phrase in this whole book. During vacation Bible school long ago (good times...) I remember memorizing Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” I always thought that was a pretty awesome promise from God. I know that he was talking to Joshua and the Israelites, but I believe it applies to us now as well. :) As I kept on reading, I discovered that the phrase, "Be strong and courageous" appeared at least 5 times through out the book. God commands his people to be strong and courageous. In one place he even says to be VERY courageous. He tells us to be strong and courageous because he "will be with [us] wherever we go." He doesn't expect us to do this own our own. He is with us and gives us that strength and courage that we need. We have a God who loves us and has promised to be with his sons and daughters. We need to learn to be strong and courageous by seeking God! The only way we can become strong and courageous is "on our knees with lifted hands". We must seek God!

Well... I wasn't even planning on using this song, but I just realized that it fits perfectly!


By the way, I love my sister Emily. ;) Just thought I'd throw that out there! *grins*