“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 1:9
I was asked by my small group leader at church to step in and lead the group when she was on vacation. She mentioned that another woman would be there to help and she had led small groups before, was good at using technology, and could help me set up. Phew! Knowing she would be there made me feel more confident about stepping in to lead. This small group had been a blessing as I had been going through a challenging time. As I read Joshua 1:9, my immediate reaction is, “Easier said than done!” It’s not easy being brave when we are in a dark place. It’s difficult to be strong when we experience heartache. It’s hard to just “be strong and courageous”. And, although I’ve heard that “God is with me” all my life, it’s easy to take this knowledge for granted.
The world would have us believe that we can rely on ourselves to do anything. In a “You got this!” world, we are supposed to be our sole source of bravery and strength. But, we need help to face the fearful moments of this human existence. We are not all-powerful and cannot do the impossible, but thankfully we have a God who is and can! (Matthew 19:26) It is God who gives us strength to face any battle, fear, heartache, or anything! (Philippians 4:13) We will, at times, be afraid in this world, but can put our trust in God! (Psalms 56:3)
I need to recall His character and rely on who He is to be truly confident, gaining bravery and courage from Him. God’s strength is made PERFECT in our weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) He is the God who created the heavens and the earth, split the Red Sea, sent manna from heaven, heals the sick, knows the number of hairs on your head, feeds the sparrow, and with His power, resurrected Jesus Christ from the grave! And this same power lives in us! (Ephesians 1:19-21)
We are provided with so many truths and promises about who God is in the Bible that we can boldly proclaim, “Yes! I am brave and courageous and have no fear! I am not discouraged because my God is with me wherever I go!”
So, if I had less fear about leading my small group after learning some positive traits about a human helper, how much more should I feel confident in a supernatural God who has infinite power to do anything. Who loves us so much to never leave us. Who asks us to trust and have faith in Him to do the impossible. And the confidence in our God’s character is what we cling to so we can be strong and have no fear, to be brave enough to lead a small group at church or climb the steepest mountains of life, because HE will be there with us, wherever we go.
Everyday Elevation 