God Is With Us
Moses is a very famous guy from the Bible. He was the guy whom God kept alive in a floating basket in the River Nile while other Jewish baby boys died. He was the guy whom God called through a burning bush to save His people – the Israelites – out of Egypt. He was the guy whom God used to part the Red Sea, and to meet Him on a mountain and personally receive God’s laws on two tablets of stone handwritten by God Himself. He was the Moses.
With such an awesome legacy left behind by his predecessor, Joshua was called by God to be the next leader of Israel with a mission of leading the Israelites into the Promised Land. It would have seemed like a daunting task. How would Joshua have felt then?
Our school theme this year is:
God Is With Us
“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
Just before Moses died, Joshua would have heard these words, “be strong and courageous” at least three times. After Moses died, God spoke directly to Joshua and repeated the same words three times. Joshua 1:9 is one of the three. The story then continues with Joshua conquering a city by simply walking around it and blowing trumpets.
It is amazing how God knows exactly what we need to hear to do the things He has called us to do. He knew precisely how Joshua felt and spoke the words that Joshua needed to hear to be encouraged to take action. I love that God did not end with just those words, but He gave Joshua the reason he need not be afraid nor be discouraged, and that was:
“For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
What an incredible promise! In fact, Jesus, God’s Son, gave us a similar promise in Matthew 28:20.
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
But, what does it mean to have God with us? Many of us keep our smartphones with us throughout the day, and for good reason. They help us stay connected with our social circles, navigate the complicated train lines of Tokyo and make payments for things. We keep them with us because we know what they mean to us and what they can do for us.
Similarly, we would only understand what it means to have God with us if we know who God is, what He has done and what He will do. This is the God who holds the universe together, the Creator of all things, the One who is sovereign over all the happenings in this world, this same God promises to be with us. What an undeserved privilege we have!
I pray that God brings us all into a deeper understanding of who He is day by day. May you find blessings of love, joy and peace as you seek the God who made you and loves you.
