We are Joshuas

The Lord's charge to Joshua is stated in Joshua 1:9,  Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord, your God will be with you wherever you go.  Today, I take the same words to heart with application to the current status of our world.

               Be strong and courageous ..... and wear a face mask
               Be strong and courageous ......and remember to use rubber gloves
               Be strong and courageous.......and repeatedly wash your hands
               Be strong and courageous ....  at least six feet from another person
               Be strong and courageous ..... and only go to places of necessity
               Be strong and courageous .....in all things FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU!

As an integral part of the great exodus and Israelite deliverance from bondage in Egypt, we read of Joshua being prepared for ministry and key leadership.  Joshua had been an attendant of Moses since his youth. In fact, Moses changed Joshua's name from Hoshea ("salvation" in Hebrew) to Joshua ("the Lord saves") to further equip Joshua to lead.  Joshua was one of the recon twelve sent out to spy on Canaan, the Promise Land.  He and Caleb urged Israel to move forward and possess the Promise Land, while the other ten feared failure and defeat in doing so.  Joshua was filled with the Holy Spirit and fully followed the Lord. In Deuteronomy, Josh was commissioned to replace Moses and he is filled with wisdom.  Taking the helm of leadership into God's Promised territory, God provides Joshua with details about moving forward to Canaan and claiming the Divine Promise.  Over and over, the Lord reminds Joshua that to accomplish all that is set before him, he must steadfastly remain strong and courageous. 

We are now into a month+ of 'staying in place'. Most of us are growing weary of staying home. We long for an improved state of health for our nation and our citizens.  We hope that safeguard restrictions will soon be lifted.  Reports of improvements on all fronts are encouraging, but it is still not safe enough to resume life as it formerly was.  We wonder if life will ever be the same again. In many ways, we are like the Israelites traveling through a wilderness in hopes to arrive at a safe place where we can rest and resume a new normalcy that is good.

It is time for us to accept the Lord's charge to Joshua: be strong and courageous.  It is time to remember God's faithfulness to our nation and to each of us, individually. It is time to resurrect the assurance of God's staying power to His own.  From Abraham through the centuries our God is faithful and He identifies Promised Lands and the travel routes to guarantee an arrival.   GOD IS WITH US!  He was - He is - He always will be.  We are called to be Joshuas,  Friends. Our job is to be strong and courageous and watch the Glory of our God revealed in the midst of this travail.