I have a friend who has been struggling for some time now with cancer. She may not know it, but as she continues through these difficult times she is teaching me and others what true courage looks like. Courage is not wearing a plastic smile. It isn’t a stubborn determination to be tough. It is not something you put on like a suit of armor, going forth in bravery or choosing to “cowboy up” to meet the challenges; but it is depending on a trustworthy anchor and continuing, staying the course, being faithful in the midst of trying circumstances, persistent fears and real pain.
In Joshua 1:9 God encouraged Joshua: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” If the verse would have stopped after the word “dismayed,” this would have been impossible for Joshua. It would have required him to somehow come up with strength and courage and then keep it up, because this admonition was not just to be strong and courageous at the moment but to continue in strength and courage. Thankfully, God didn’t stop with the word “dismayed!”
God reminded Joshua that He Himself, “the LORD your God,” was going to be with him. The word LORD speaks of the eternal creator, the covenant God, the eternal “I Am” who had brought Israel out of Egypt. But Joshua needed more than the reminder of God’s sovereignty and power, more than the knowledge that this was the same God who spoke with Moses and led the Israelites. The words that immediately follow, “your God,” assured Joshua that this amazing God was also in a relationship with him personally, a loving God that could be claimed as his own. He could rely on God as his God.
“The LORD your God is with you” was a statement to hold on to, because it gave Joshua the promise of God’s continuing presence. Since Joshua was an assistant to Moses, he would have been aware of Moses’ total dependence on God’s presence and his prayer to God: “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here “ (Ex 32:15). As one who often stayed at the tabernacle in the desert (Ex.33:11), Joshua knew the importance of God’s presence.
God’s message to Joshua continued with the words, “wherever you go.” The “wherever” that Joshua was headed into was certainly full of many challenges. He would have to lead the fight against many nations of powerful enemies, people that some had claimed were so strong that they made the Israelites look like grasshoppers.
It might be easy for us to overlook the significance of God’s message to Joshua, because we can look back and see the end of the story. We can read about how God did use Joshua to bring the Israelites into Canaan and take possession of God’s promised land. We can see how God continued to be with His people throughout the Old Testament. Many years later, the Psalmist spoke of God as “our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” and reaffirmed that no matter what crisis or tough situation might be present, “The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (Psalm 46). And when the nation was facing sure destruction, the prophet Isaiah gave a beautiful message from God, assuring: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” and letting them know that God’s presence would remain through rivers, fires, deserts, and wilderness (Isaiah 43). While we can see all of this and recognize God’s faithfulness, Joshua had only his own knowledge of Israel’s past and his personal message of encouragement from the Lord.
I am sure that my friend Alice can relate to how Joshua may have felt, having faced some “wherevers” like he had to face. She is displaying the strength and courage that comes from the same source that Joshua had, and showing that for a believer, true courage is really about trusting God.