“This is my command – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:9 NLT
When my daughter turned up at her local A&E with a spiral fracture she was told to sit and wait. She told them her arm was broken, yet they did not believe her. Once X-rayed and seen by a doctor, she received a fulsome apology. They had assumed someone with the type of break they discovered would have been yelling in pain. However, due to her performance career, she’d developed a high pain tolerance; she was courageous and strong.
To be courageous is a challenge. We would all like to think we might have supported Rosa Parks and her cause in 1955 helping launch the civil rights movement across the USA. Yet, to take a stand invites criticism, or worse still, violence. I am brave within the confines of my own mind. I’m untested when it comes to taking a stand in the face of hostile opposition. How courageous would I prove to be?
In considering our return to work this week, we’ve noted the role of fear and apathy. Life is not always what we’d imagined, and sometimes we’ve little way of influencing the outcome. However, we have the opportunity to influence ourselves; our perspective and our approach. This is Joshua’s commission as he leads the people through the Jordan into an unknown land. He will face outright rebellion which will test his resolve in trusting God.
Christianity is born out of and sustained by trust. Trust is relational and depends upon my capacity to trust God. It measures the degree to which I believe God can prove true to his word. While I may know this in my head, it’s altogether different to place my life on the line of God’s promise. Trust can only ever be a fruit of commitment to the truth of God’s revelation. It can appear the high-risk option and yet offers the only way to discover the viability of my friendship with God.
QUESTION
Are you confident in God’s trustworthiness?
PRAYER
Lord, I know that you are good and that your deeds are great. Yet I still need the courage to trust you. Strengthen me, O Lord.
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