Be strong and of good courage

Scripture: Joshua 1: 6-9

“Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you many prosper wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your ways prosperous, and then you will have success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Reactions: Before I sat down for my scripture meditation, I wrote down several issues I’ve been contemplating lately. I realized that some of these may take a bit of courage on my part, so I chose this reading under the topic of Courage.

My first reaction was that the word strong was written three times, as was courage or courageous. What does it mean to be strong? In this context I believe it means being confident and willing to press on regardless of doubts and roadblocks. But I am not confident! I’m still trying to figure out how to balance all of my interests and pursuits, which is why I made my list before I began praying. I was hoping that the Lord would tell me exactly how everything would fit together. Instead, I got the message “Be confident in your decisions and just do what you know needs to be done.”

But how do I know what needs to be done? While I was listening to God’s encouragement, I came to realize that I cannot do this all by myself. First and foremost, I need to call upon God when I’m in the situations that cause me the most uncertainty. The last verse of my reading tells me what I already know, that God is with me wherever I go, so all I need to do is to call upon Him for guidance, confidence, strength and courage. The passage also stresses another aspect of my life currently in play: that I shall meditate in the scriptures (Book of Law) day and night. Finally, I remembered my earlier impressions to consider the viewpoints and opinions of others when trying to organize my life. I think that’s where the courage comes in. For some strange reason, I am often hesitant to make phone calls or talk to others (even my immediate family) about my various concerns. But I know that need to take these steps, and today’s meditation urged me to just take them! So I will make a few phone calls as soon as I finish this post, and plan to discuss another issue with my husband this evening.

My final thoughts as I wrapped up my prayer session were that I don’t need to do everything all at once. While on retreat I resolved to let God be the Master Planner, instead of trying to create my own ‘project plan’ for my life. Now I'm reminded that I need not plan everything out to the last detail. I will start with the most important issues: how to go about setting up a prayer group at our church, and how much time to devote to ballroom dancing. Other decisions, such as taking additional fitness training, can wait till later. I need to remember my plan to test all things, and hold what is good. I’ve barely started testing, so how can I decide on what to hold and what to let go?

I see that this prayer session was very helpful to me, not so much in making final decisions, but in defining how to go about exploring my options. I am no longer afraid or dismayed, and I’m feeling confident enough to take the first few steps.