Can You Imagine?
I love trying to picture myself in the middle of a Bible story. Spending a few moments thinking about what it must be like. Imagining all the pieces that we don’t know. Thinking about all of the little details and the real life people involved.
I found myself recently in the Old Testament, in the book of Joshua. A new generation has just entered the Promised Land. It took a whopping forty years to get there. There was a lot of rebellion against God and because of repeated sins, the people literally wandered around in circles. It was now time for the Israelites to inhabit Canaan and a new leader had been appointed to lead them. Moses died, seeing the Promised Land ahead of him, but unable to enter it. Joshua was now stepping in to lead the Israelites.
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
A lot of change. Big transitions going on. It’s enough to get a new leader. Think about your workplace. You get acclimated to your manager. You get used to the rules, how they work, and their personality. But it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to adjust to a new leader or manager. It takes time to build trust. The same is true for the leader/manager.
Can you imagine being in Joshua’s shoes? Scholars have Joshua to be around the age of 60, give or take. Scripture doesn’t give us his exact age, but he’s not eighteen and stoked to be moving out on his own for the first time. He’s got some experience under his belt. He knew that because of Moses’ disobedience to the Lord, he wasn’t going to be able to enter the Promised Land. He knew Moses was going to die, leaving him to lead and guide the people.
As I found myself in these verses, I imagined God speaking directly to me. Directly into my set of circumstances and my sphere of potential impact. I imagined God, reminding me of something I know but so often take for granted and don’t take it seriously enough.
“Be strong and courageous.”
If I can be honest, this has been a season of mixed emotions. Learning to balance excitement with anxiety. Learning still that it’s important to give myself grace for the journey because it’s not going to be easy every step of the way.
It’s hard to balance life with grace and gratitude when there is much change. I’m sure even Joshua had some doubts about everything. We can gather that from just the first nine verses of the book. Three times the phrase “be strong and courageous” is mentioned.
I’m comforted to know that God goes before me. He leads the way for me. My job is to be an obedient follower. Even when times are tough.
The same is true for you. Is God calling you to be strong and courageous today? Are you sitting in a time of transition? I pray that you can find encouragement here in the book of Joshua. Be strong and courageous friend, you are not and will never be alone in anything that you face. Can you imagine God saying this to you today?
