“I Will Be With You;

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.

Joshua 1:1-7

Joshua was the apprentice to Moses. Moses died, and God blessed Joshua. God takes His own time to prepare us for service. Sometimes that period of waiting is as valuable as learning all the needed strategies and goals. Joshua observed Moses’ faith in God. He learned what it meant to be humble, how to take instruction, and how to be a true servant of God. Even a display of Moses’ temper was an opportunity to watch and learn. By spending time with Moses, Joshua learned things that couldn’t be learned from a book. Joshua’s own time to lead was coming. And when it came, he was able to trust that promise that God had made to him. God had been with Moses, and He would be with Joshua as well. God also promised not to fail or forsake Joshua. A person who is not willing to follow is not prepared to lead.

Our Daily Bread – August 6, 2008