“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
“All the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever” (Joshua 4:24).
Did you know you can have fear and courage at the same time? In Joshua 1, after the death of Moses, the Lord spent a full chapter encouraging Joshua not to fear or be dismayed. It’s reasonable to assume that Joshua was somewhat fearful. He had spent his life following Moses. And when it came time to choose a successor, God chose Joshua. Isn’t it interesting that the very thing that might disqualify a military commander, fear, was the very trait Joshua had lots of.
Yet, at the same time, the Lord wanted Israel to have a healthy fear of God. God manifested himself to Israel by drying up the Jordan river before Israel so that they, “May fear the Lord your God forever.”
God is a great God. And the fear of God accompanies salvation. Consider the story of Rahab in Joshua 2. She recited the great and terrible things the Lord did for Israel, then said, “For the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath” (Joshua 2:11). Her fear of God brought her into relationship with God and she was saved.
Memory Verse
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Application
Whatever you encounter today, have no fear, because the God who was with Moses and Joshua, and even Rahab, is with you, through Jesus. Step out in faith to share your faith that other may know and fear the Lord as you do.