6 Be strong and courageous,(P) because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors(Q) to give them.
7 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey(R) all the law(S) my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Keep this Book of the Law(W) always on your lips;) meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 9 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.”
Reflection
Have you ever been thirsty – really thirsty? So thirsty that you could already taste that next cold, clear, refreshing gulp of water?
I vividly recall such a time. It took place during a 50-mile hike with the Boys Scouts along the Appalachian Trail. I was probably in my early high school years and was a member of Troop 63, which was based in my hometown of Brielle, N.J.
It was Easter vacation, and our hike began just north of the Delaware Water Gap. The weather couldn’t have been any better. The days were warm and sunny, but not too warm. And the evenings were crisp and cool – great sleeping weather, especially after a strenuous hike.
One thing I forgot to mention, and this is important to this story, I wasn’t a very good Boy Scout, though I stayed in scouting for more than five years. During that time I only advanced to the rank of First Class Scout and accumulated only one merit badge.
I still remember the Boy Scout Motto: “Be prepared.” Unfortunately, I didn’t practice it while preparing for the six-day hike. I did not carry a canteen. I think it goes with our verses in Joshua, but instead of being prepared the psalmist wrote to be strong and courageous. If we do the things in Joshua 1:6-9 we will be very prepard.
I remember the nice quart-sized canteen that had been my brothers before it became part of my equipment. And it would have been the perfect size for the hike – if I had found it.
The guys were great about letting me have water during the first day. But as the hike wore on and the guys wore out, so did their goodwill – and my water supply.
I tried to use various things that I found along the way as an adequate water-carrying source and thought that I had my problem licked when I found a gallon milk bottle that I cleaned very thoroughly. There was one drawback, a major one. It was a glass bottle and it didn’t last long.
I was really dying one day. The hiking that day had been demanding, and I needed liquid sustenance. I found it in the form of a mountain stream. I’m sure you’ve seen it. That stream looked like one of those streams you’d see on a postcard or in a movie. The water was clear, and the stream flowed over and around small boulders, making the most delightful sound.
It wasn’t long before I had my face submerged in that cool water and was totally replenished. It was the most delicious water I ever tasted.
I recall what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 42.
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God,” it begins. “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?”
It sounds like Joshua 1:9, “The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Where can I go to be with God, anywhere so long as I obey his words.
Their desire to be with God was stronger than my desire to find water during my hike.
And it makes me wonder why I’m not more driven to spend time with God. I have my daily devotion time but sometimes it’s more out of habit than desire. Don’t get me wrong, those times are also important to God, and he doesn’t love us any less. But I’m the one who is missing out.
Let Jesus satisfy your thirst. And be strong and courageous.
by Rick Reed
For Pondering and Prayer
Spending time with God makes me strong and courageous, or at least it can. Quite frankly, I’m an idiot when I don’t spend time with him.
Prayer: My Lord, please help me to spend more and more time with you each day. I want to be strong and courageous for you. Amen.