This month, my memory verse group (led by my friend Kim, the inspiration for countless blog posts) has been thinking about the verse Joshua 1:9, which says, "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." I absolutely love this verse, and I thought of it often when Joshua was going through all the surgeries and medical stuff. And this month, it's been an encouragement in a whole new way.
Whenever I'm going through a transitional time in my life, like I am right now (see previous two posts), there are always moments of fear and discouragement. Always. And I don't think I'm alone in this. It's hard to move out of your comfort zone; it's hard to be the beginner and have to learn new systems and ask questions and look foolish; it's hard to be on the learning curve. All of us go through these times in life, whether it's a new job, a new city, or a new life stage. This verse, and some others that relate, are perfect for these transitional times.
The verse tells us to be strong and courageous rather than frightened and dismayed, but how are we supposed to get this strength and courage?
- The first answer is right in the verse - "the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." I don't have to look to my own strength to fight fear - I can look to the one who travels with me wherever I go, who faces every discouragement by my side - and who is infinitely more powerful than any of those things.
- Here is a related verse that takes the concept even farther: "The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14) This verse comes from the story where the Israelites have just escaped Egyptian slavery, and the Egyptians are chasing them down, and they run into a dead end at the Red Sea -- but then God parts the Red Sea, lets the Israelites through, and stops the Egyptians in decisive fashion. Neither the Israelites nor the Egyptians could've possibly imagined this is how the story was going to go. It's a good reminder that I don't need to know all the details of how my life story is going to play out, and in fact I'm going to be a lot better off if I trust and be still and enjoy the ride.
- If I was going to get another tattoo, it would say "Be Still" as a reminder of this verse. (Either that or matching Celtic tattoos with my sister.) (But not going to get tattooed.)
- Another verse that acknowledges how heavy the burdens of fear and discouragement can be, and how God takes those things on for us: "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) God never promises us an easy life. He understands that the burdens life throws at us are heavy. But He does offer rest in the midst of life's challenges.
- Finally, a reminder that this piece of the story we're living in is just a tiny sliver of the bigger story: "Fear not; I am the first and the last." (Revelation 1:17). God has been there since the beginning, and He will be there in the end. He is working all the events of history, including all the pieces of our individual lives, towards a larger redemptive story. Remembering the bigger story helps us relativize any fear or discouragement we're feeling right now as temporal, momentary, passing.
