Joshua 8:1-2 - Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do
not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with
you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands
the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land. You shall do to Ai and
its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off
their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind
the city.”
The Israelites had tried attacking Ai and his city once
before…and suffered a huge defeat. So before God gave him the directions to go
and attack him again…he reminded Joshua not to be afraid or discouraged. One
thing was different this time…God was going before them...victory was a sure
thing. The sin in the Israelite camp that had caused God to use the last lesson
as an object lesson….had been purged from among them.
The message to my heart was clear…as soon as I read the
words…”Do not be afraid…do not be discouraged.” They jumped right off the page
and into my heart last night as I read them. I won’t give all the details…but I
have this thing to do today…and I am more than a little nervous about it. I have
prayed over it for several days...even talking to my official counselor friend to
get her advice and her joint prayers.
I needed the reminder that God goes with me in everything I
do. Sometimes I take that fact for
granted...like when there seems to be an angel swerving my car at just the
right moment to prevent a wreck…. or that moment when I seem to know exactly
what to do. Just because the perfect words and actions are not embedded into my
head right now…does not mean that God will not show up when the time comes and
fill it with all that it needs.
Part of the problem is that I don’t get to write down my
words…I can’t use word processing to go back and change my script till it is exactly
right. This deed I need to do requires face to face exchange…which I botch
quite frequently. I need to be courageous…and
confident that God has just the right words for me to use today. He is in
control and will work even what I see as a thing I am not prepared to handle…
to the good of all that love him…per Romans 8:28.
Father...thank you for the reminder that you are with me in
all that I do. Forgive me for letting my heart fret over what I need to do.
Give me confidence and wisdom and just the right words to speak in this
situation. Help me to feel the touch of your holy spirit today as I prepare…and
follow through with my task. Help me to be courageous and not intimidated …so I
can use your words and actions to complete what I know I need to do. Amen.
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