Saturday, January 18, 2014

Fear Not

When God passed the leadership baton to Joshua after Moses died, he said to him: “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). Joshua needed this personal confirmation of God’s presence as he led the children of Israel across the Jordan River into the Promised Land. 

My two-year-old grandson, Gabriel, reinforced this truth to me in a humorous way. He'd been learning the verse for quite some time. One day when his mother picked up the spanking spoon to discipline him, he clenched his fists, screwed up his face, and with eyes shut tight said, "Be strong and courageous!"

Like Gabriel, I’ve faced situations that provoke fear. Perhaps you have, too. Whether it’s physical pain or a leadership challenge we dread, the Lord can take scripture we’ve memorized and whisper its truth into our ears: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid . . .


Prayer: Dear Father, you know that today I face ___________________________. Please help me to be strong and courageous, knowing that You will be with me wherever I go and in whatever I have to face. I know I can trust You, Lord, because You are my strength. 

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2 comments:

Erin Unger said...

I find it interesting that God said that to Joshua several times. He really wanted Joshua to understand that he meant what he said. It's hard as a writer to not be afraid at times when we send out our work to agents. Fear of rejection can be hard to accept or face. Yet we must keep pushing forward. We need to accept the Lord's offer that He will never leave us. Thanks for the post.

Eileen Rife said...

Thanks for contributing to this discussion, Erin. I've been writing professionally for 15 years, and the fear of rejection part doesn't seem to get easier. I think you hit the nail on the head when you wrote that "we need to accept the Lord's offer that He will never leave us." Ultimately, the writer's life is a refining process used by the Lord to shape us into more than merely good writers.

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