Monday, June 30, 2008

I Will Not Fail You


In Joshua 1:5, we read the following as God talks to Joshua as he is about to lead the people into the promised land:

“No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you" (Emphasis Added).

Have you ever been awakened in the middle of a night by a fear that grasped your soul whether it was a circumstance you were facing or a situation in which you absolutely had no control over at all. We humans really control very little with respect to the events of our lives. Sure, we try to control what we can with respect to ourselves, but controlling other things is beyond us. Joshua is about to lead the people into Israel. Remember, he was there 40 years ago, when the people had failed to believe and were sent to wander in the desert for 40 years until the older unbelieving generation had died off. Joshua is now leader for Moses has died. He is now with a new group of people. But, the task remained the same - take the land of promise.

Joshua had believed 40 years ago, yet God still in Joshua 1 continues to tell him over and over not to fear, but to have courage (Joshua 1:6-9). And here in Joshua 1:5, we see why Joshua should not fear.
  1. God would be with him just as He was with Moses.
  2. God would not fail him.
  3. God would not forsake him.
Joshua had seen the great wonders of the LORD over the last 40 plus years. He knew God could accomplish what He asked him to do. But I bet these words of encouragement were a key to strengthening Joshua's faith. Just as with Joshua, God will always be with us, He will never fail us, and He will never forsake us. What great comfort that should give us. What great courage it should give us to be faithful in the task God has given us to do. The next time you do wake up with that fear in your heart, remember this verse or the many others, such as Hebrews 13:5, that remind us once again that God, unlike us, has in Himself the ability to control everything in our lives. We indeed should never fear. He is sovereign. And I am glad He is.

1 comment:

Robin said...

This is the dirty little secret of unregenerate mankind - they either live in quiet desperation with no hope or they live in denial imagining that they are the captains of their own destiny. We pity them - however, like you stated well, we live in the hope that our God is sovereign and will deliver us! If not perhaps in this world, He will deliver us to the world to come.