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.”
- Joshua 1:9

Three times in the first chapter of Joshua the Lord command Joshua to “be strong and courageous.” Each time that command is grounded in some bigger reality than Joshua.

The Lord didn’t tell Joshua: “Be strong and courageous because you’re a pretty talented guy with lots of relevant experience and, gosh-darn-it, people like you.” The Lord doesn’t mention Joshua’s years of training with Moses. The Lord doesn’t hit at Joshua’s experience leading soldiers in battle. The Lord doesn’t even reference Joshua’s courage spying out the enemy territory. The Lord has no interest whatsoever in grounding Joshua’s strength and courage in Joshua.

Why draw strength and courage from Joshua when a better source is available? In Joshua 1, the Lord points to three sources for strength and courage: the presence of the Lord, the purpose of the Lord, and the path of the Lord. (We worked hard so they’d all start with a “p” for those of you who like that sort of thing) In the next two days we’ll look at the purpose and the path of the Lord. Today, we want to reflect once again on the Lord’s presence.

In Joshua 1:9 we see three elements of the Lord’s presence that can give us strength and courage.

First, we see that the Lord is our God. He isn’t just our leader and master; he also has the power to help us. The power that sent the cosmos spinning into motion asserts itself today on our behalf.

Secondly, we see that the Lord’s presence is with us both now and in the future. He “will be” with us when we need him most. He won’t abandon us when things get tricky or messy or weird. The Lord our God is faithful.

Finally, we see that the Lord’s presence isn’t trapped by territory. This concept rocked minds in the ancient world, where all gods marked territory and rarely wandered afield. There’s no place so dangerous, so dark, so scary that the Lord our God can’t go there with us. He’s God over everything. Every place you set your foot belongs to him.

God’s presence fills us with strength and courage.

Where do you need to see the Lord’s presence today? Ask him to give you eyes to see that he’s with you.