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. — Joshua 1:9

Even though these words were said to Joshua when he took over for Moses, we can still use them. Read Psalm 139 out loud for a moment and you’ll see that God’s promise to be with us is for everyone who really calls on him. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 28:18–20. He tells his disciples that he will always be with them, even until the end of the world. In Hebrews 13:5, God’s promise is repeated from an Old Testament blessing: “I will never leave you, I will never abandon you!” Let’s be strong. Our God, our Father, and our Shepherd is always close, even if it doesn’t seem that way. We can’t go anywhere without him being close to us and inside of us. We are not on our own. We don’t need to worry. Even death can’t take us away from his love (cf. Romans 8:35-39).

 

Thought

Even though these words were said to Joshua when he took over for Moses, we can still use them. Read Psalm 139 out loud for a moment and you’ll see that God’s promise to be with us is for everyone who really calls on him. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 28:18–20. He tells his disciples that he will always be with them, even until the end of the world. In Hebrews 13:5, God’s promise is repeated from an Old Testament blessing: “I will never leave you, I will never abandon you!” Let’s be strong. Our God, our Father, and our Shepherd is always close, even if it doesn’t seem that way. We can’t go anywhere without him being close to us and inside of us. We are not on our own. We don’t need to worry. Even death can’t take us away from his love (cf. Romans 8:35-39).

 

Prayer

Be close to me, dear Father, not just because you promised to and because you are there, but also because I am aware of you. I need to know you are close by so I can take advantage of the great chances I have. As I face the hard things in my life, I need to know I can count on your help and love. I know that you will always love me. In Jesus’ precious name I pray. Amen.