“I Will Not Fail You Or Forsake You”
After the death of Moses the servant
of the LORD, the LORD spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying, “My
servant Moses is dead. Now proceed to cross the Jordan, you and all this people, into the land that I am giving to them, to
the Israelites. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, as I promised to Moses. From the
wilderness and the Lebanon as far as the
great river, the river Euphrates, all the land
of the Hittites, to the Great Sea in the west
shall be your territory. No one shall be able to stand against you all the days
of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you
or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; for you shall put this people in
possession of the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them. Only be
strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law
that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or
to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the
law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it.
For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful.
I hereby command you: Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened
or dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:1-9
When it was time for Joshua to take
over as leader of Israel, he needed
assurance that God would be with him as He had been with Moses. The Israelites
knew that Moses had divine direction during their wilderness journey because
God led them by a pillar of fire and a cloud.
Wherever we are, whatever bold
endeavor we are involved in, or whatever spiritual battle we may face, we have
the confidence that God is with us. He guides, protects, and leads us!
The Christian
finds safety not in the absence of danger
but in the
presence of God.
Our Daily
Bread – June 14, 2005