And you shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the brink of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’” And Joshua said to the people of Israel, “Come hither, and hear the words of the Lord your God.” And Joshua said, “Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Hivites, the Per′izzites, the Gir′gashites, the Amorites, and the Jeb′usites.” Joshua 3:8-10
The Hebrew people had wondered in the wilderness for forty years. As they moved from place to place they longed for a permanent home. God had promised them a land to call their own, but there was a problem. The land was already occupied. The Canaanites, the Hittites, and the Hivites and many other tribes had already settled in the promised land. The Hebrew people knew they would have to overcome a great many trials to occupy the land God was giving them.
Before the Hebrew people entered the promised land, they wrestled with great fear. Rumors made their way through the camps. The people began to fear what could possibly be waiting for them on the other side of the Jordan. Fear began to grip the nation and there was worry that the forces on the other side were greater than the nation of Israel.
God spoke to Joshua and offered encouragement as they prepared to cross into the promised land. He told Joshua that they were to be “Strong and courageous.” God was clear that their courage was not an empty emotion. Their strength was because, “The living God is among you.” God’s people were to be strong and courageous in the face of their fears, because they were not alone, God was with them. As the Apostle Paul would later remind us, “If God is for us, who could be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
We often stand with our feet on the edge of a new adventure. Like Joshua and the Hebrew people, we are called to be courageous as we face our fears. Worry, doubt and fear kept the people from wanting to cross over the Jordan and take on the adventure that God had called them to. The same obstacles often prevent us from living life to the fullest. We choose to stay on the safe side and we miss so much of what God has in store for us. God reminded Joshua that fear had no place in God’s presence. As we stand on the edge of a new week and a new adventure, remember we are not called to fear, but to courage, because we are not alone, the living God is with us.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
