Joshua
Open Your Bible
Joshua 1:1-18, Joshua 23:1-16, Deuteronomy 31:6-8
BY Guest Writer
All the facts told me I could not be brave. I was twenty weeks pregnant, my unborn child had been given a fatal diagnosis, and I wanted to run away. I didn’t think I could answer God’s call to carry a baby full-term if that baby would not be mine to keep. I looked at the journey before me and the assignment God had given to me, and thought, “There is no way I can do this. I’m not strong enough.”
Have you ever felt like this? Have you ever lost sleep over the fear of a circumstance? Have you ever been afraid that God might ask you to do something you cannot do?
I believe that God wants to redeem our worries, and we would do well to learn from the story of Joshua. God had a very important assignment for Joshua. Moses was about to die, and it was time for the Israelites to finally stop their desert wandering to find a permanent home in the promised land. God wanted Joshua to lead them into their first battle at Jericho. He said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Joshua’s task was scary (think war and death), victory looked improbable (think impenetrable fortified city), and a whole nation hung in the balance (think no room for doubt). God knew all of this, and yet what did He say to Joshua? No matter what lies before you, “be strong and courageous” (Joshua 1:6).
How could God ask this of Joshua? How could God ask me to be brave and carry a child I knew would pass away?
It’s because of this:
The Lord will never leave us (Joshua 1:9). We might not know the twists and turns of the journey before us. But we can stand confidently, knowing the Lord will never ever leave our side.
It is the Lord God who fights for us (Joshua 23:3). God does the fighting! Joshua’s strength, my courage, your bravery—these do not come from within ourselves. No! They come from the Holy Spirit, and His power has no limits.
The Lord our God is worthy of our love and devotion (Joshua 23:9–11). God gave Joshua and his people many commands, but He gave clear emphasis to this one in particular. Jesus gives us a similar command: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). This is the call we’ve been given, and if our eyes are on the one who calls us, then no matter what life throws at us or what impenetrable circumstance lies ahead, we will be okay.
I named my son Gideon. And during those 90 minutes he lived in my arms, God proved all of His promises to be true. Our God will never leave us. He will always fight for us. And He delights in our love for Him.
Maria Furlough is a wife and a mother to one amazing 11-year-old daughter, three rambunctious boys, and one baby boy who lives in the arms of Jesus. Formerly a full-time youth pastor, Maria now teaches women’s Bible studies and works as the Missions Team leader at Lake Forest Church in Huntersville, North Carolina. Maria is the author of Breaking the Fear Cycle: How to Find Peace for You Anxious Heart and Confident Moms, Confident Daughters. You can find Maria on Instagram or Facebook @MariaFurlough or online at www.mariafurlough.com.
49 thoughts on "Joshua"
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Holy Spirit I need You to be strong and courageous for me. In Jesus name. Amen
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I want to be strong and courageous. I want to let God fight for me, and with me. I want to stop the lies the enemy has planted in me.
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I just gave birth to my first son and this has touched my heart in so many ways. After an emergency c section he was born healthy and beautiful. Soon after I got shingles and we have had so much fear of how he can be affected. I also don’t go too close to him to keep him protected. My heart aches for being able to hold him. I’m sorry you only had 90 minutes and yet I can imagine how thankful you must be for them. Thank you for writing this. I think it’s safe to say you have glorified God even through such a difficult situation. God bless you abundantly.
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I have been shaken to the core by anxiety today. My job has been one uncertainty after another and while I know God commands me to be strong and courageous and to look different than all the other 50 nurses on my unit who, like myself, are trying our best to buckle up for what seems like a very uncertain and VERY bumpy ride with all the changes occurring on our unit-I can’t help but toss back and forth between His overwhelming peace and my overwhelming anxiety. On my drive home from a very long and worrisome day today I felt the Lord press on my heart to meet with Him even though my mind was telling me obsess over the one million things going on in my head, trying my best in my own self reliance to find answers and prepare for the worst. By grace I choose to come home, make a waffle, and crack open my Men and Women of the Old Testament study by She Reads Truth and I have to admit, at first, my heart was hardened and my faith was lacking. When I saw that my next person would be Joshua I thought, “great God, I know, I’m supposed to be courageous and brave like, I GET IT” but nonetheless I pushed through reading the scripture out of obedience, having read it a hundred times before, and feeling sure I wouldn’t get anything new from it. To be honest, by the time I got to your commentary I was completely checked out and unprepared for how sweetly the Lord was about to wreck me through the story of your son and His calling on your life to be brave through Gideon. Being a NICU nurse and former L&D nurse I think it was truly the only thing that could have broken through my thick head and pride to show me what it truly means to lay my anxiety aside for the tough and beautiful and messy calling He has for my life knowing that He holds me and stays with me through it all.Thank you for reminding me today of how sweet it is to trust in the promises of God amidst a world of heartache, and hardship, and anxiety, and uncertainty. Five years since you held your sweet son and kissed his chunky cheeks yet his and your beautiful story are still stirring my faith and I’m sure the faith of so many others as well. I hope it’s okay I shared with you…Thank you and God bless.
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Girl, I NEEDED this. Thank you for sharing. I’m an Exercise Physiologist at a Cardiovascular clinic and this job is a constant battle at my anxiety. And yesterday was the worst I’ve had in a while and I was feeling really overwhelmed and inadequate. This whole study today has spoken so sweetly to me and it’s just so encouraging to read how God ALWAYS speaks to us exactly how we need. He is good and always for us which just wrecks me. Saying a prayer for your anxiety today! You aren’t alone!
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Thank you so much for sharing you lot story. I, too, carried a baby with a fatal diagnosis. He passed away and I delivered him in what was the most heartbreaking morning of my life. I’m now almost 20 weeks pregnant again and terrified. It’s hard to not let anxiety rule the heart.
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Wow. I really needed to read this. This devotional has given me a lot to further pray and think about. I’m currently 33 weeks pregnant and have been given the unfortunate news that our baby girl has a terminal heart condition. I am carrying to term but it has been a rollercoaster of emotions and I have been asking God “why? And how am i to get through this and not end up bitter?
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“Love the Lord your God with all you heart, soul, strength and mind”, these are such powerful words from the mouth of our Lord. Father, when life gets difficult help me remember those words. Amen.
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What a beautiful testimony. We can do all things THROUGH CHRIST!
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