Joshua 1:6-7 – “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.”  NKJV

Anytime the LORD repeats Himself or makes greater emphasis I get concerned that there just might be something He is not telling me about the upcoming events or the instructions.  If I were Joshua in this situation I would have wanted to ask more probing questions but if I had been through what Joshua had I might have just accepted it without question.

God addresses the new leader of the nation of Israel telling him that his mentor Moses was dead.  The further instruction is that Joshua is to lead the nation across the Jordan and into the Land of Promise with the provision that every place their feet touched would belong to them.  There was additional comfort and promise that just as God had been with Moses He would be with Joshua.  THEN, the disturbing part comes and God says, “Be strong and of good courage.”  That by itself would be wonderfully encouraging but then in the next sentence God says, “Only be strong and VERY COURAGEOUS…”  Hold the fort God.  You are repeating yourself and emphasizing that I need to be both strong and courageous why?  What is it that you are not telling me?  What is there lurking in the future that will require both strength and courage and even require me to be VERY COURAGEOUS to be able to get through?  WHAT ARE YOU NOT TELLING ME?

I have found in my Christian walk that there are times God does not give full disclosure with His instructions.  I have learned that one of the reasons, in my case, was had He fully disclosed what was going to happen I would likely have sought ease and might have run or wanted to and become a hindrance in the process.  I have learned that it is best to TRUST Him completely and while some would argue that is BLIND FAITH I would contend that it is EXPERIENTIAL CONFIDENCE that He will work ALL THINGS together for my good and no matter what I face will NEVER leave me or forsake me.  I remember hearing about an elderly saint of God in a particular church defining faith to some younger believers in this manner:  She declared that if God told her to jump through the hole in the wall it was her responsibility to jump and God’s responsibility to make a hole in the wall.

Too often we want God to give us everything in detail BEFORE we do anything and for that reason we sometimes miss the moment and opportunity before us.  We need to know the ‘time of our visitation’ and realize that TODAY is the day of salvation.  We do not have a promise of another tomorrow as James 4:14 informs us that life is like a vapor here for a short time and then vanishes away.  We do not know what tomorrow holds but we do know who holds tomorrow.  Either God is trustworthy and capable of fulfilling His promises or He is not and if He is not we are in a world of hurt beyond our ability to rectify.  If He is, and I believe He is, then we can calmly and faithfully TRUST HIM.  We know we have an adversary that wants to ‘sift us as wheat’ and ‘devour us’.  We know that we will face situations in life in which there is incredible uncertainty and we only see the momentary and temporary requiring us to be strong, courageous and trusting.

I stand with Joshua as he challenged the nation of Israel, “Choose you this day who you will serve, but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.”   May God be with you as you go through your day!