Deuteronomy 31:6
6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.
I found a daily Bible quotation and memorization section in the back of my old Bible tonight. Today's verse is the one listed above. I dug deeper and here's what I found:
Moses, at the age of 120 years old, was called by God to go and speak to Israel the word of God. His message was to go forth into the nations that God had just destroyed and take possession of their land and their things. Since Moses was so old, Joshua was sent as the forerunner. Twice in the first 8 verses of chapter 31, Moses reminds Israel and Joshua to be courageous, unafraid, and to know that Lord would not forsake them. Obviously, God meant business as He destroyed homes, building, people, families, and possessions. He had a bigger picture and a better picture in mind for the people of Israel. Joshua would be the new leader to fill the shoes of Moses, but the plot thickens later in the chapter as God calls Israel out for being rebellious and tending to turn away from the will of God.
What can we take from this? The biggest thing that stands out to me is that God is able to do anything. I mean ANYTHING. If he wants the walls of my house to collapse while I sleep soundly, He can make it happen. If he wants a tree to fall on me while I am running and break my arms and legs, He can make it happen. The Creator of this world is in full control. Just as in this chapter, He has a plan for the people of Israel, Moses, and Joshua. He made His plan clear and He carried it out, with full authority. The people of Israel were to be strong and courageous, to not be afraid or to be terrified. What would help protect Israel from harm and fear? The latter part of the verse explains that the Lord is with them and that He would never leave them, or forsake them.
God is calling us, His people, to go forth through the destruction and filth within the world. He has a plan for each of us. Just because this message originates around 1400 B.C. doesn't mean it's not applicable in our modern day society and within our community. Our actions can change things. Our words can touch hurts. At the same time though, our words and our actions can break hearts. We should not be afraid of this world or the people in it. We know that God is with us and is not going to leave us. God knows that we are going to rebel against Him. Whether it be small sins or huge mess ups. He knows. Thankfully, though God has mercy and grace on us...through his Son we have second chances.
Am I being strong? Are we being courageous?
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