“Hearing other people’s stories never really helps me,” a friend once told me, bluntly. “I guess it’s because I just end up thinking, ‘but, that’s their story—not mine.’”
I can’t say I entirely agree with my friend’s perspective on this, but I do understand where she was coming from. There really is only so much comfort we can derive from the experiences of others.
Someone at work or church or school may have been in a situation very similar to ours—and things may have turned out beautifully for them—but, as our thoughts like to remind us, “there’s no guarantee our stories will turn out the same way.”
Every life has its own twists and turns. Every story has its own surprise ending. But that doesn’t mean there is no comfort and encouragement to be found when we go through the hard times.
Just look at God’s words in Joshua 1:9:
“Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” (WEBBE)
In this short verse, we read 2 comforting and encouraging truths:
One. Israel’s God is our God.
The LORD spoke this verse to Joshua when He called him to become Moses’ successor and lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. So, I find it very meaningful that God identifies Himself as “the LORD your God,” here.
The LORD, or “Yahweh,” as it’s sometimes rendered, is how the people of Israel referred to God all throughout the Old Testament. So, for Joshua, it would have been a name rich with history.
The LORD, Yahweh, Israel’s God…is the One who called Abram from Ur with a promise to make his descendants great. He is the One who gave Abraham and Sarah a son, despite their old age, and then gave them grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, in time. He’s the One who preserved—and even blessed—the Israelites when they were enslaved in Egypt and who parted mighty waters to bring them out again into freedom. He’s the One who sustained His people, despite their failings, through all their years of wandering in the wilderness.
“The LORD” was Israel’s God, who had been there for His people at every turn. And now God identifies himself to Joshua as “the LORD your God.”
Israel’s God was Joshua’s God, too.And if we are followers of Christ, the same is true for us.
Israel’s God is our God.
Here’s why that should encourage us:
If God kept His promises to Israel, He will, likewise, keep His promises to us.
If He could do the impossible in Israel’s story, He can do the impossible in ours.
If He could repurpose evil into good and make a way where none existed, we should know He can do the same things in our circumstances.
And if He didn’t give up on His wandering people yet loved them enough to correct their failings…
If He sustained, preserved, provided and proved Himself over and over, then we, too, can believe He’ll do the same for us.
Israel’s God is our God, too—with all the same love and power and goodness.
Two. He will be with us wherever life takes us.
God said to Joshua, “the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
No doubt, Joshua knew of the many ways God had been with His people in the past—how He’d provided for the patriarchs and empowered Moses’ leadership, before him. But now, Joshua faced a call from God that would take him to new places.
Would God show up there as well?
Right up front, God reassured Joshua: “yes.” No matter where the path took him and no matter what he encountered along the way, God would be with him. And we have this same hope. Wherever tomorrow takes us and whatever challenges arise, God will be right there beside us. He won’t just be distantly aware of our lives from heaven, keeping tabs on us through the angels. Rather, He will be personally present in all our moments. He will be close enough to get His hands dirty in the messy details of our lives.
These truths—that our God is the God of Israel and that He will be with us wherever life takes us—should bring us both encouragement and instill us with courage.
After all, if the all-powerful and ever-compassionate God is going to be with us, we don’t really need to be afraid of tomorrow’s unknowns. We can face them, confident in God’s strength.
It’s true. Our stories really may turn out differently than the stories of our friends and fellow believers. But we can still find courage in knowing this: the same God who was mighty and working in their details, is at work in ours. And no matter where life takes us, one thing will be certain: wherever we end up, we’ll find God there. For the LORD our God will be with us wherever we go!
May this reality strengthen us today and for all our tomorrows.
This devotion is based on one of the Scriptures from my reading plan: “Grateful for God” which explores God’s character. To receive a copy of the reading plan (and future reading plans), sign up for the email list below. Hope you’ll follow along!
Written by Paige K. Burhans
©2024 Paige K. Burhans
Scriptures taken from the World English Bible British Edition. Public Domain.
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