Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. (NIV)

Joshua 1:9 was the verse I planned to use in my post yesterday.  As I started writing for yesterday, God had other plans.

So today, I’m asking myself, “Am I courageous?”   If you ask anyone that’s ever had to run lab work on me they would laugh and say, “Um…no.”  I warn all the nurses ahead of time that I will probably tear up and start breathing heavy but I’ll be OK.  (It’s better for me to admit ahead of time that I’m a really big chicken when it comes to needles.)  Then we laugh and they are hyper aware that I might just pass out.

One time I went in for my lab work and my kids were with me.  I gave the nurse my standard warning and he told me to, “Be courageous because your kids are watching!”  He had a point (pun intended).  I like to imagine my kids thinking of me as a supermom that can tackle any situation with courage, strength and grace.  What would they think of me if a tiny little needle reduced me to a watery eyed, hyperventilating mess?

Granted, I’ve never been great with even getting my finger pricked.  I cannot tell you how many times I am reminded of when my boot almost hit the doctor in the head.  It’s one of those family favorite stories shared at the most perfectly embarrassing times.  I mean, I was just a kid and they wanted to prick my finger!  What else was I to do other than throw a fit, kick and scream until my boot went flying down the hall at the doctor’s head?  Shoot, my own Granny refused to ever take me back to the doctor after she experienced my finger prick tantrum.

In retrospect, I’ve calmed down quite a bit since then.  Not once in my adult life has my boot ever flown at the doctors head while I was throwing a tantrum about lab work.

So you are probably sitting there thinking, “How in the world is she going to tie this into Joshua 1:9?”  To be honest, I’m not really sure but here it goes.

Joshua 1:9

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

In this verse, God is telling Joshua to be courageous as Joshua is leading the Israelites into their promised land.  What a huge leadership position.  Joshua is leading God’s chosen people into the land promised to them by God.  Not only that but Joshua is also taking over after Moses died.  Moses left some huge shoes to fill.  I cannot even imagine what was going through Joshua’s mind as he was stepping into this leadership role.

Three times in the verses of Joshua 1:6-9, God tells Joshua to be courageous.  God also says He will be with Joshua wherever he goes.  What a comfort to Joshua knowing God will be with him anywhere and everywhere he goes.  Joshua must have found the courage of a thousand men knowing God promised to be with him.

God still holds true to that promise today.  Whether we are facing a huge life obstacle or met with even the tiniest of obstacles, we can be courageous knowing God is with us!  Nothing is too big or small for God to handle.

I sometimes forget to call on God for the small stuff.  If I cannot be courageous in even the smallest of things, like say… getting my blood drawn, how in the world will I ever find the courage to face some of life’s biggest challenges.  I need to remember to be strong and courageous in whatever I do because He promises to be with me wherever I go, even to the lab.