Be Strong and Courageous
Be Strong and Courageous
Courage Is Not the Absence of Fear
Joshua was standing at the edge of everything unfamiliar. Moses had died. The leadership of an entire nation had just fallen on his shoulders. In front of him was a land full of people who had no intention of welcoming him, and behind him was a generation that had wandered for forty years.
It would have been strange if Joshua were not afraid.
Into that moment, God speaks:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is moving forward anyway because you know who is with you.
Why Courage Is a Command
Notice how God frames it. "Have I not commanded you?" That phrasing is striking. We tend to treat courage like a personality trait. Some people are naturally bold, and others are not. God speaks of it as something we are called to choose. That means courage is available to you even when it is not your natural temperament. It is not reserved for the confident or the outgoing. It is a decision made in the presence of fear, and it can be obeyed by anyone willing to lean on God rather than on themselves. God also repeats it. If you read the first chapter of Joshua, God tells him to be strong and courageous three times in a matter of verses. Even the people God calls need to be reminded. So do we.
The Reason Behind the Command
God does not simply tell Joshua to be brave. He gives him a reason. "For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." That is the entire foundation. Joshua's courage was not built on his own ability, his experience, or his odds of success. It was built on the presence of God. This matters because it changes where we look when we are afraid. Our instinct is to assess the situation: how big is the problem, how strong am I, what are my chances? God redirects us to a different question: who is with me? Nothing about your circumstances has to be certain for God's presence to be certain.
Courage in the Everyday
Most of us will never lead a nation across a river into enemy territory. Our courage gets tested in smaller, quieter ways. It takes courage to lead your family spiritually when you feel unqualified. It takes courage to apologize to your spouse first. It takes courage for a child to stand alone when everyone else is going a different direction. It takes courage to keep praying for something you have prayed about for years. It takes courage to walk into a new season when the old one has ended and you cannot see what is next. God is just as present in those moments as He was with Joshua. He is not only with you in the dramatic chapters. He is with you in the ordinary Tuesday, in the difficult conversation, in the waiting room, in the car on the way to something you are dreading.
Making a Way Forward Together
Here is what should settle your family's heart: God is not waiting to see if you can handle it.
He goes before you. He makes a way where you cannot see one. The God who parted the Jordan River for Joshua is the same God who stands with your household today. So talk about fear openly at home. Let your children name what scares them without being told it is silly. Then point them back to the same reason God gave Joshua. Not "you are strong enough," but "God is with you." Be strong and courageous. You are not walking into any of it alone.
Family Conversation Starters
Use one of these questions each day to help spark a family conversation:
What does it mean to be courageous?
Is being courageous the same as not being afraid?
Why do you think God had to command Joshua to be strong?
What reason does God give for why Joshua doesn't need to be afraid?
What are some things that make you feel afraid or discouraged?
How does knowing God is with us change how we face hard things?
What is one place this week where you need God's courage?
Worship Together
Listen to Make A Way by Elevation Worship featuring Chandler Moore and Brandon Lake as a family this week.Available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music & Amazon Music
As you worship, let the song remind your family that God has made a way before and He will make a way again. Courage grows when we remember what He has already done.
Scripture
Joshua 1:9
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Prayer
"Lord, be with us and help us to be strong and courageous. May You be with us wherever we go. We love Your word and desire to remain in Your way. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Ready to Go Deeper?
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