Be strong and of a good courage

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

This command has been repeated numerous times in Scripture, most of them being given to Joshua. Joshua comes after Moses dies, and is placed into the position of leading Israel into the land of Canaan. Moses was not permitted to enter the land and was not given this task because of the “waters of strife.” No doubt, the Lord forgave him, but He had a different man for this job. Joshua was young and strapping, ready to take on the known world, and was full of faith. But even for a man like that, the task is a daunting one. Leading a group of obdurate, stiff-necked people is an ominous prospect. It is a duty that could be performed by no weak or uncertain man. He was a strong man, and was selected for this job, but had to be reminded again and again to “be strong and of a good courage.” Could I not be permitted to indulge in a little conjecture? Can we not postulate that he was nervous at times? Could we not guess that he had his misgivings, that he had his moments of doubt, that he felt inadequate, unable, unprepared for such a great calling? And such is true for many of us. We know what the Lord has tasked us with. We know our calling. Moreover, we know what God is preparing us for, and what the next great step is. But oh how the doubts come! The worries! The fears! The imaginations of failure! The thoughts of the possibilities that could arise! All of these came to Joshua, even as a man of faith and virtue and willingness.

But the encouragement that is given to him is invaluable. You must listen today! You must take heed! You must allow it to enter into your bones and bring strength to your joints. It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. You must allow it to infiltrate your mind, and enter deep into the innermost parts of the belly. You must allow your heart to be enveloped with its truth, and allow your whole spirit, soul, and body to be bolstered by this support. For the Lord says, “Be strong and of a good courage!” Face it head on! Don’t delay! Don’t falter and don’t worry! Be of a good courage! Do not allow discouragement, dismay, or disillusionment to take over. Be of a good courage! Now why is this command given? Because the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee! This is why we have strength! This is why we have courage! Because the Lord our God is with us! He will walk with us! He will remain by our side. And furthermore, He will not fail us nor forsake us! He will not abandon any of us in our weakest, frailest moments. He will stand by us and strengthen us. He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Dear friend, do you have something to face this day or in the near future? Are you called to do something that seems too high for you, too frightful, too intimidating? Is the day itself hanging before you like a storm cloud ready to release its lightning and thunderbolts? Do the events of this day seem too much to handle alone? Take comfort this day! For the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. He it is that will go with thee! He will not fail thee! Nor forsake thee! Go in His power! Go in His strength alone! “The arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own,” as Mr. George Duffield has told us. You are weak without Him. But you can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you!

Be strong and of a good courage today!

“Heavenly Father, we come to you in the name of your Son Jesus Christ, who is our strength and refuge. Give us strength and courage to do your will this day, armed with your armor, and not our own. May we not be too timid or frail to face the assignments of this day, but may we find the strength and courage that only comes from your helping, guiding hand. We trust in your power alone this day. Help us, we pray. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.”