Courage that goes with you
Joshua had just buried Moses, the only leader he had ever followed, and a river and a walled land stood ahead of him. God didn’t promise him an easy road. He promised His presence on every road.
Courage in Scripture is not the absence of fear; it is obedience that keeps walking while afraid. Whatever you are facing today, the God who goes with you is already there ahead of you.
Lord, You know what I’m afraid of today. Make me strong, not because I feel strong, but because You are with me wherever I go. Amen.
חֲזַק (chazaq (khah-ZAK)). The word behind “be strong.” It carries the picture of gripping firmly, to hold on tight, and it often means to take courage by taking hold of God’s promise.
Joshua opens the book that tells how Israel entered the Promised Land after Moses’ death. This verse is God’s commissioning of Joshua at the very start.
Paulinus, the first Archbishop of York, died. In 627 his preaching had led King Edwin of Northumbria to faith, and thousands were baptized, one of the great early moments of Christianity in northern England.