Be Strong and Courageous

“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.  Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:6-9 NIV)

“Be strong and courageous.”   This command is repeated 11 times in the Scriptures; “Be strong” is found 23 times.  Add to that the 73 times the phrase, “Do not be afraid,” is used and one gets the idea the Lord is trying to communicate something to us. And every time these words are used, it is in the context of the Lord being with us.  

So what is He saying to us and why does He say it so often?  He is saying that we can trust Him when life is full of anxiety, sheer fear, or trauma.  And He says it often because we so easily forget or begin to doubt.  

Life hits us hard and often.  Day-to-day struggles mixed in with life-changing decisions and challenges.  We are tempted to run away, live in denial, or seek some form of escape.  Anything to cope with the fear rising up within us.  Yet, the Lord commands us to stand firm and face our fears.  “Be strong and courageous.”  “Do not be afraid.”  

We may often feel we are standing alone in front of a thousand giants ready to crush us, but how we feel is not the reality.  God stands with us and, simultaneously, goes before us.  So the command, “Do not be afraid,” is a call to trust Him, and our strength and courage flows not from ourselves, but from our confidence in His power to see us through our struggles, and the circumstances in which we find ourselves.

Today, do not be afraid of whatever you are facing.  Be strong and courageous.  For the Lord is with you and you can trust Him to bring you safely through it.

© Jim Musser 2015