Joshua 1:9; A Father Talking To His Child

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9

 This verse is one of my all time favorites, and each time I read it I feel God speaking directly to me. Now, you have most likely heard it a few times before, but have you ever looked deeper into what it is that God is trying to tell us? Have you ever looked at this verse from a perspective of a father talking to his child? Well, today, that is what we are going to be looking at.

 Now, think about a father talking to his child and saying these words. We would imagine that the child is pretty upset or discouraged, or even fearful of something going on in their life, but this is what the father is saying to him. He is saying; "Be strong and courageous." Don't give up. Stand strong and keep going. Keep the courage that I know you have within and hold your head high, not letting anyone take that away from you. I know it may seem scary, and you may be upset right now, but believe me, if you just stay strong, and believe in these words that I am telling you, you, my child, are going to rise above this.

 Imagine the father then going on to say, "do not be afraid; no not be discouraged." He is saying, even though this situation may be difficult, even though you may have no clue as to what comes next, you don't have to be afraid. There is no need for fear in your life because I am going to be walking with every step of the way, your hand in mine. And just because that one thing didn't work out, and just because it's not going like you thought it would, just know that it was for a reason. Just know that that place is not where you are supposed to be. So just take my hand, and walk with me through all of it.

 Now you see, as we have now pictured a father saying this to his child, I hope that you now have a new image of God saying this to you, His child. God is promising you that He "will be with you wherever you go." So we need to take that hand that our Father is offering us, and listen to these words that He is saying. For when we do, we are going to see new direction, hope, joy, and peace in our lives that we never have seen before.