“I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous … Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success … Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:5-9

Harry Truman was thrust into the most difficult job in a dark time of crisis. He was abruptly elevated to the role of President of the United States at the death of President Roosevelt, near the end of the worst war in human history, and pressed with the decision as to the use of the greatest weapon ever developed.

Harry Truman could have related to the challenges Joshua faced. The towering figure of Moses was gone, creating an immense leadership vacuum. It too was a time of crisis, with the Israelites poised to take possession of the promised land. The mantle of leadership fell to Joshua, who must have felt inadequate and overwhelmed by the weight of responsibility. Against this backdrop we read the tender and reassuring words of Yahweh his Father.

No less than three times Joshua is challenged to “Be strong and courageous.” Was he to, as we sometimes say, buck up and pull himself up by his bootstraps to gain personal strength and confidence? No, it was not to be done by personal strength and determination but rather in unswerving devotion to what God had commanded: “be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Almost as a footnote, God declared that Joshua would have success as a result of wholeheartedly devotion to doing and meditating on the word of God. The word would be the foundation for success, and so it is for us: we cannot truly succeed unless God’s word is central to our life and activities.

Be strong and courageous. These are times that easily invoke fear and weakness. Isaiah 5:20 says, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness.” That is exactly what it taking place in our times! The tables are turned; evil is brazenly pronounced as good, while the truth and values we espouse are no longer “politically correct;” good is now evil. If ever there was a need for courage and strength it is now. May God’s words to Joshua guide and encourage us for such times as these.

Be sure to also see Amazon ebook & print devotional and podcast: New Day Dawning.