BE STRONG, COURAGEOUS, NOT DISCOURAGED OR TERRIFIED
Deuteronomy 31:6 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.
Israel was about to go into their Promised Land. God had promised this land to Abraham, and his descendants about 545 earlier. (Gen 15:18-21) Abraham’s descendants had quite a interesting pilgrimage over the years. They fought battles where they were greatly outnumbered, given great honor and privilege in Egypt, and then enslaved by Egypt for several hundred years. God set them free of their bondage in Egypt, but because of their lack of belief and faith in him, God he led them through the desert to make they trust and obey him. For forty years they resisted (Israel means struggles with God) God, and then when they were about to go into their Promised Land they became afraid and wouldn’t go in. God told them to go back into the desert for forty years, and they refused to do that. So, they decided to go into the Promised Land anyway. Because of their disobedience God allowed them to be defeated in battle. With that they went back into the desert for forty years before God would allow them another chance to go into their Promised Land, but first Moses takes credit for bringing water from a rock, and now God will not let Moses or Aaron enter the Promised Land. I told you it was an interesting pilgrimage!
Now as Moses stands before the Hebrew people, he begins to prepare them for their great blessing. He tells them that there will be great blessings and curses. They will have great blessing if they obey God, but if they do not they can expect great curses to come upon them. Well, guess what caught their attention most?
Well, I am sure it was the great curses part. But in the end guess what Israel will do? They will sin against God and bring on themselves great curses! Moses tries to encourage them by saying that if they only return to the Lord and obey him with all their heart and soul everything will be alright. God will make them more prosperous and numerous than their fathers. He even adds that God will circumcise their hearts and that of their descendants, so they can love him with all their heart, soul and live. Then Moses tells them to choose life and not death and love the Lord. He finishes by saying, “Listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All they have to do is be strong, be courageous, not discouraged or terrified.
Well, that doesn’t sound too hard does it? Moses even told them that it was not too difficult or beyond their reach. I am sure many of the Hebrews were thinking, “Well, that is easy for you to say!” But in reality Moses was right. The reason for it was that God would with them, and he would never leave or forsake them. Jesus even said the same thing in his great commission. He said that he would be with them to the very end of the age. In other words, until the earth was no more. Are you getting ready to go into uncharted territory like the Israelites? Well, in many ways we all do each day of our life. After all, we have never lived that day before. We have no idea what may come our way. We may have milk and honey, or giants to face. These come in all kinds of different shapes and sizes don’t they? One thing we know is that if we are a Christian then Jesus will be there to go right with us. In fact, if we request it he will even be our point man and go before us! The trick in this is we need to ask him. He does respect our free will doesn’t he. He will part the waters and level the mountains. Nothing is to hard or impossible for Jesus.
I had a Promised Land before me once, and I was scared to death! I wanted to tell the world about Jesus and help people to love, trust and obey him. I wanted them to experience the reality of having a personal relationship with him and enjoy his unlimited blessing. There was only one thing in my way, and for me it was more intimidating than the river Jordan at flood stage. I had to go to seminary! I hated Jr College, University, and now three years of graduate school. In my mind that it was crazy, and not crazy good either. I was never a very good student to say the least. It wasn’t that I didn’t try, because I always did. I was dyslexic, and had major attention problems. I barely got through undergraduate school and now graduate school? It all seemed almost like a bad joke that God was playing on me. I tried my best to avoid going back to school by even trying to start my own church. That door seemed to close before I could grab the doorknob! God was going to take me through the desert! Oh, boy!
I know you are probably saying hurry up with all this. Ok, Ok, I really am trying to do my best. Anyway, my first semester did not go well. I had hated the thought of going to back to school so much I thought I would just take the maximum course load and get it over with. Bad idea!!! This didn’t go well to say the least. I even talked to Beckie about just quitting, and going back and try to find another job. Wisely she told me that Jesus hadn’t forsaken us, and he would get us through this too. She was right! She had been watching the 700 Club and a NBA basketball player told of how he had dyslexia, and by drawing pictures he could remember things a lot better. I tried it and my grades shot up. But one more major mountain stood in my way, and I and Beckie could see no way over or around it. I had to pass two Greek courses before I could graduate. In my first course I got a D, and that didn’t stand for dog as much as it felt like it! My next Greek course was the advanced course and it was TERRIBLE!!! I FROGGED it big time! I had come to the mountain and the mountain jumped up and came right down on me! I WAS CRUSHED!!!
I am trying my best, don’t give up on me quite yet. I got a call to come in to see the chairperson for the greek studies. He told me that Asbury was going to start a new program for students that seemed to have a hard time learning greek. He must have figured that in my case while every at seminary seemed to be greek I couldn’t get the real greek if my life depended on it. He was right about that too.
Anyway the new course was exactly what I could understand and use. In it they let me us the different helps to do the work needed. I believe I even got a B out of the course. GOD HAD LEVELED THE MOUNTAIN ! Where I saw no way, Jesus said, “I’ll be the way!” He was, is and always will be too! Jesus has only been oh so good to me and my family.
Sometimes our promised lands, our tomorrows, can be very scary and intimidating, but as Moses told Israel and Joshua, be strong, courageous, not discouraged or terrified. Then I might add, because Jesus is for you and if he is for you, who could ever be so strong against you. He has done it for me and mine so many times, and he will for you. All you have to do is ask him. Jesus is so good! After all he is the one who parts the water and levels the mountains! Jesus is God!
Prayer: Jesus, thank you for being so wonderful to your children. Please help us to always keep our eyes on you and not our mountains. We love you Jesus and ask this in your holy name.
Note: Our last great battle for our Promised Land has already been fought and won by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
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