Hall of Faith Week 7 Tuesday

Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. Joshua 1:2

Imagine this situation. You have been the second in charge for 40 years. You and your friend were the only ones from the previous generation that were still alive and allowed to go into the Promise Land. There are no other older adults, and you are the only two who have survived this wilderness experience. Yet, here you stand with millions of people to lead? Do you feel overwhelmed yet?

That was just the situation that Joshua faced. Moses was dead, the last generation of Israelites has died off as well, and now the Israelites were prepared to take the land for themselves. The task would have been daunting. He saw the hills and valleys that Moses went through as he led this group of people. Trying to keep this group motivated and away from grumbling and complaining was almost impossible without God's help. Joshua observed all the sleepless nights where Moses talked to God on behalf of the people who always seemed to make the worst possible decisions. Would you want that job?

Then, the God of the Universe comes to Joshua, and He speaks to him just as He did with Moses.

God spoke to Joshua, saying, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them” (Joshua 1:2). In other words, God was reassuring Joshua that He had not forgotten His promises to the Israelites and that it was finally time for them to go to the promised land. He was appointing Joshua as their leader.

Joshua knows the gravity of the situation, and it is the very voice of God that carries him through. The same has to be true for all of us. In the midst of anxiety over an upcoming task or responsibility, we have to rely on God’s voice to lead us through. So many times in our lives we hear the voices in our heads say things like, “You are not good enough, you could never accomplish the task, someone else is much better!” We have to ignore these voices, and listen to the voice of God say, "You are enough!" He created us for a purpose to make Christ known in the world around us. So instead of being overwhelmed by the opportunity, we need to stand in faith, and listen to the only voice that matters.

Moving Toward Action

Think through some of the voices that you have heard over your lifetime. They might be voices that spoke life and healing, but you might also remember some of the negative things people have said to you. Write out some of the things that others have said, and then next to them, write out what God says about you. Choose today to listen to His voice over all the others that you hear.

Going Deeper

Read Joshua 1:1-5 (NLT)