“Do
Not Be Afraid; Do Not Be Discouraged”
Then Moses went out and spoke these
words to all Israel: “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no
longer able to lead you. The Lord
has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will
destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land.
Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. And the Lord
will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with
their land. The Lord will deliver
them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. 6 Be
strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will
never leave you nor forsake you.”
Then Moses summoned Joshua and said
to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must
go with this people into the land that the Lord
swore to their ancestors to give them, and you must divide it among them as
their inheritance. The Lord
himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor
forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”
Deuteronomy
31:1-8
“Dad! Where
are you?”
I was
pulling into our driveway when my daughter, panicking, called me on my cell
phone. I’d needed to be home by 6:00 to get her to play practice; I was on
time. My daughter’s voice, however, betrayed her lack of trust. Reflexively, I
responded: “I’m here. Why don’t you trust me?”
But as I
spoke those words, I wondered, How often could my heavenly Father ask that
of me? In stressful moments, I too am impatient. I too struggle to trust,
to believe God will keep His promises. So I cry out: “Father, where are you?”
Amid stress
and uncertainty, I sometimes doubt God’s presence, or even His goodness and
purposes for me. The Israelites did too. In Deuteronomy 31, they were preparing
to enter the Promised Land, knowing their leader, Moses, would stay behind.
Moses sought to reassure God’s people by reminding them, “The Lord himself goes
before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do
not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (v. 8).
That
promise—that God is always with us—remains a cornerstone of our faith today
(see Matthew 1:23; Hebrews 13:5). Indeed, Revelation 21:3 culminates with these
words: “God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with
them.”
Where is
God? He’s right here, right now, right with us—always ready to hear our
prayers. What Scripture brings
to mind the truth of God’s presence? Place it somewhere easily
visible to remind you.
Father, help us to see how much You
love us!
Our Daily Bread – November 16, 2019