Episode 66: Joshua 1:9
Transcription
Today’s verse is Joshua 1:9
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Let’s pray together.
Jesus, I am afraid of the future. I am afraid of the past. I don’t know how to live well in the present. Everywhere I go and everything I do seems fraught with peril. The world feels like it is against me. I feel small. I feel undeserving. I feel unprepared. I am clad in despair, clutching fear like a security blanket. I trust no one. I cannot hear wisdom, lost in the clamor of my own thoughts and insecurities.
But here are Your words to me: Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. These are more than exhortations; they are commands. In this moment, I am Joshua, newly commissioned, bewilderingly in charge, and thrust into the unknown, responsible for more than I can manage. I wonder why I cannot get a face-to-face meeting with You. I want the Angel of the Lord to appear and give me all the specific instructions I so crave. It feels unfair that I don’t get that when he did. But then I am reminded that I have an advantage Joshua did not have. He needed that kind of help because he could not approach You. He did not have the minutely intimate access to You that I have. The barrier between us is broken, the veil is torn, and I am free to be with You at all times.
It is me who runs away, me who shies from the responsibilities. I am the one who is too busy, who is too tired, who is too ashamed, who is too prideful to come to You and receive the help that I need. I am sorry, God. Please forgive me. Keep this before my mind’s eye at all times, this knowledge that You are present and with me, always the help at my right hand. I forget too often and complain about how unfair life is.
Let these words sink into who I am, melting into the core of my being, melding with the essence of my spirit. They will be instinctual, a life-habit, a heart’s desire, my body remembering to act under Your gentle tutelage. I want to be Your true servant, Your fearless warrior, and Your tender friend. Whatever task is put into my hand, may it be done with these words in mind. I ask You to help me be obedient to Your will and Your command.
Jesus, banish fear from me. Destroy fear. May it have no place anywhere near me. I am not bound by it. I am surrounded by Your protection. It cannot get to me and I should not invite it to dwell with me. It is the cruelest trick and the easiest lie for me to believe. But I have nothing to be afraid of. No sickness, no mandate, no perversion, no betrayal, no persecution, no shame, no poverty, no hatred, no division, no judgment, no law, no loss, no lie can ever be stronger or more powerful than the Almighty God that I have surrendered to.
But I need Your strength and Your courage. I cannot walk this path on my own. I am too easily cowed and illusioned. I require Your help. Thank You that You always give it to me. I cry out to You and You instantly answer me. I have all that I need and more. I am a conqueror, I am a leader, I am a healer, I am a soldier, I am a student. I am because You are. I am not afraid for one simple reason, because You are with me wherever I go. I cannot fly to the heavens or descend to the depths without You being with me. I am safe and I am held and I am protected and I am Yours, no matter what. Oh, help me believe it. Help me live it.
Jesus, I pray this in Your unbreakable and mighty name. Amen.
