Stepping into the Unknown

One of my favorite Bible verses is Joshua 1:9: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." (NIV). I came across it again this morning during my quiet time. It had been a while since I had given it much thought.

God was getting Joshua ready to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Joshua was facing a lot of brand new challenges - leadership (Moses had recently died and Joshua was now "in charge"), entering a brand new land (they had a taste of what it was like from the spies, but going there to start new lives had to have been daunting), to name just two.

I am sure that God's reminder of His presence to Joshua was greatly comforting and greatly motivating to Joshua and the people of Israel.

One of my favorite parts about this verse is that it is a COMMAND. It is not a suggestion. God commands us to be strong and courageous - and then He encourages us by telling us why. HE will be with us wherever we go. That is where our source of strength and courage lie. In God.

David and I are facing some uncertainties right now. We know that God is moving us, but we just don't know where for sure. We have a sense of direction that we are following until God closes the door, but there are enough variables involved that our sense of surity has not yet kicked in. We know that God still wants us in this ministry. The stakes are just too high to walk away from it and fall back on what the world thinks is reasonable and logical.

As we move forward in faith, again believing that God opens the doors no one can shut and shuts the doors no one can open, we can do so with strength and courage. Because God is with us wherever we go. But as Joshua knew he was going where God was directing, so David and I know that we will go where God is directing us. And with that knowledge comes the strength and courage to go forward.

Going to India in January can be a very scary thing - especially for me as I have never travelled to such a "foreign" land before. I've been to Canada and Mexico, but I don't classify those countries as "foreign" like I do India. Fear of stepping into the unknown could be enough to stop me from going. But when this opportunity presented itself, I knew that I had to step out of my own comfort zone and experience - even if for a short time - what it means to be a missionary in a foreign land. I know it won't be glamourous, comfortable or even easy. Serving God rarely is. But if God is able to use us to impact even one life over there, it will be worth it. Not only that, it is my prayer that He also impacts my own life - that He strengthens my own "missionary" heart in a way that is completely unimaginable.

So, whether facing the unknowns here in the US as God leads us, or facing the unknowns in India, I can have strength and courage because I know that God is leading the way. Honestly, as a Christ-follower, I have no choice but to be strong and courageous. It is what God has commanded! And I really like that.


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Journal Archive - March 23, 2005 - John 15:17-16:4

Jesus was very repetitive in the things He was saying to the disciples. John wrote many examples of this in this passage: "Ask whatever you will in My name," "Obeying His commands is equal to loving God" and "If Jesus had not come and spoken to the Jews, they would not be guilty of sin."

My guess as to why Jesus was repeating Himself so much is that the disciples were at a very teachable moment, and Jesus wanted to make sure that they caught and understood everything He was trying to teach them. They were about to go through a very dramatic event, and these were things they were going to need to remember as they went on after Christ's death and resurrection.

Lord, I want to be teachable. I want to be in a position where I can hear your voice speaking to me, repeating to me the things you desire me to grasp and understand. Help me, Lord, to hear your voice, to recognize your Word and to hold it in my heart.