Strength For The New Year
As I was thinking through my spiritual goals for this new year, I began searching for passages of Scripture that I could use as my theme for the year. As I searched, I kept going back to the Lord’s charge to Joshua in Joshua 1:9:
“Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
Moses, the humble, God-ordained leader of God’s people, had just died. Ready or not, Joshua had just been handed the reins of leadership. Not only would he be leading the people of Israel, but God was also entrusting him with the responsibility of leading Israel’s army to conquer the land of Canaan. God knew the heart of Joshua, and He graciously provided both the encouragement and also the push that Joshua needed to lead the people in the ways of the Lord. The first 9 verses of Joshua are full of God’s commands/encouragements to Joshua as he began this new responsibility:
Verse 5: “As I was with Moses, so I shall be with thee: I will not fail thee nor forsake thee.”
Verse 6: “Be strong and of a good courage.”
Verse 7: “...turn not from it (the law) to the right hand or to the left.”
Verse 8: “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.”
Verse 9: “Be strong…be not afraid…for the Lord thy God is with thee.”
As we start off this new year, let’s take to heart the directives that God gives to Joshua. How can we apply these commands to our lives? Well, in so many different ways! But I would love to share some specific ways the Lord challenged me to apply these verses in my life this year.
First of all, in my witness to others. Is sharing the Lord with others we come in contact with scary? Yes! Do we often feel inadequate, or afraid we may not know what to say? Yes! Did Joshua feel inadequate and fearful in Joshua chapter 1? I am sure he did! But in 2024, I pray that I will remember the Lord’s encouragement to Joshua (and to us) as I seek to share my faith with the lost. I know God’s promises hold true today as they did in Joshua’s day. So let’s “be strong and of a good courage” and remember that He will not fail us or forsake us as we seek to do what is right.
Secondly, my prayer this year is that I will be faithful in pursuing my relationship with God. That I will make my quiet time with Him my priority each day. Why? Because God promises in verse 8 that if I meditate on His Word day and night that “then thou shalt make thy way prosperous and then thou shalt have good success.”
Finally, I pray that as a result of God’s working in my heart through a consistent walk with Him, that I would be an encouragement to those around me to do the same! To my family, friends, and all I come in contact with. Let us resolve this year to truly be a shining light for our great Savior!
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”