Experiencing God's Presence #364

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

Joshua 1:9

Joshua was about to lead Israel into the Promised Land, so God gave him some vital instructions. Among those instructions was a command of encouragement: “Be strong and courageous.” In fact, God repeated it often enough to indicate that Joshua must have been having some major struggles with fear. He apparently was focusing on the enormity of the task rather than the enormity of his God.

We do that often, and our fear can actually hinder our experience of God’s Presence. But when we do encounter God, fear has to flee. When we get a sense of His strength as well as His favor toward us, obstacles seem to become smaller and enemies seem to become less threatening. God becomes our greater preoccupation. As Oswald Chambers once wrote, “The remarkable thing about fearing God is that when you fear God you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God you fear everything else.” An encounter with God is the antidote to whatever we dread.

Fear of enemies and obstacles cannot survive in the Presence of God. As your awe of Him grows, mountains shrink and problems unravel. Solutions that once seemed impossible now seem unavoidable. Feeling alone causes you to feel overwhelmed with heavy burdens; but sensing Him causes you to feel overwhelmed only with Him. When that happens, following the command is easy: Be strong and courageous.

Lord, I feel overwhelmed often, but I know a glimpse of You can radically change my perspective. Please overshadow my fears and worries with Your strength. Help me be strong and courageous in every challenge I face.

From the book