To say the absolute least, a lot has happened since our previous post. Clearly, the ultimate impact of historically significant events that took place in the Middle East last week is yet to be determined, but this much at least is undeniable . . . Those events have altered perspectives around the world and initiated changes on many levels. Thankfully, the “explosive” exchanges didn’t affect the vast majority of us directly, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons to be gleaned from them. God’s people have endured armed conflicts throughout their history. Battles have raged over issues large and small, and through them all, God has always been at work. Whether the outcome was a humiliating defeat or a glorious victory, there were lessons God wanted to teach. The fact that we weren’t personally or directly involved in these recent events and that they took place thousands of miles away doesn’t mean there aren’t lessons to be learned and some important principles to be applied. One of them came to mind as I read the Biblical account of an impending attack that God’s people were about to initiate.

Astonishing Encounters ~
Prior to engaging in some unexpected military maneuvers against Jericho, God decided to have a personal conversation with Joshua. In reading about that exchange, I was once again struck by how amazing it is that our Living God actually talked with those men directly and personally. What an incredible thing it must have been for God Himself to show up and deliver specific, personal instructions about something He wanted them to do – or not to do. We can’t help but wonder what it would be like if something like that happened to us. Doubtlessly, every detail of an encounter like that would be etched into our minds and hearts forever. We would not only talk about it the rest of our lives, but I’d love to think that from then on, whatever God told us to do would be the number one item on our priority list every day. That would be true if it only happened once, but in Joshua’s case, God showed up one way or another and reiterated a single command no less than eight times! 

Obviously, anything the most powerful being in the Universe says is important, but if He decides to repeat it more than once, the assessment of how important it is to Him begins to rise exponentially. In Joshua’s case, we might take a wild guess and conclude that what God said to him was something He didn’t want him to forget or ignore. We might also conclude that the lessons to be learned in the message He conveyed to Joshua were intended to be passed along to those who would face similar situations in the years that would follow. 

Looking Beyond the Moment ~
God knew that as history unfolded, there would be other “Joshuas” to come and countless other “Jordans” for the descendants of His people to cross. There would be innumerable other battles to be fought and enemies to defeat. The future would reveal new territories waiting for them to win, and multitudes of new fears would have to be overcome. There would be many more times when His promise of victory would be their only hope. And in light of that, God gave special emphasis to the admonition He delivered to Joshua. It was intended for every one of us who might find himself or herself called to undertake a task that seems impossible, to cross rivers that seem uncrossable, and to fight battles that seem unwinnable against foes that seem invincible. In other words, His brief, but very important, message to each of us is simply this . . . 

Be strong and of good courage … (Joshua 1:6 NKJV)

No Hidden Conundrums ~
Those few words don’t sound complicated, do they? That’s because they aren’t. This isn’t a statement that requires an advanced degree in theological linguistics to grasp. As much as I love exploring cultural implications and the historical context of God’s intrusions into the lives of His people, this statement transcends culture and ignores the passage of time. It fits all the battles we face, all the obstacles in our path, and whatever challenges life presents. But in spite of its simplicity, there are principles such as those below that are woven into these words, and they’re worth highlighting:

• • This message was not only personal in the context of its delivery to Joshua. It’s personal in the sense that no one could do it for him. Joshua couldn’t delegate the command to be strong and courageous to one of his subordinate captains. He couldn’t even pass it off to the priests and Levites. The call for Joshua to be strong could only be carried out by him, but the impact of his obedience would have an effect not only on all of God’s people, but even on the enemies they faced.
  • God didn’t isolate or specify any one area of Joshua’s life as the area in which he was to exhibit strength. For instance, He didn’t tell him to be strong in resisting mental distractions so he could be sharp and alert, or to schedule some extra bicep curls and squats for a few days to keep his arms and legs strong. God didn’t even tell him to block off some extra quiet time for prayer and worship to strengthen himself spiritually. The call to be strong was open-ended and all-inclusive. God wanted Joshua to exhibit strength in everything he did.
  • Another missing element in the command was a scale to measure the precise degree of strength God was looking for. When I go to the gym (Yeah, I hear ya … and you can stop laughin’ now, okay? – I actually do that once in a while 💪 🤪), I notice that all the machines have the weights designated. I also notice that people endeavoring to manipulate them are counting their every movement. Then many of them write them down and compare them. Some may experience seemingly major depressive episodes when they notice some skinny little nerd pressing twice what they could lift … But God gave Joshua no point at which to begin, no number to achieve, and no regimen to fulfill. That meant at least two things . . . The time to begin was now – and the time for considering the command ‘complete’ did not exist. 
  • God told Joshua to be strong. He didn’t tell him to be strong-er. He didn’t call His servant aside for a performance evaluation and pass judgment on the quantity and quality of any strength he might have had at the moment or give him a pep talk about self-improvement. Joshua’s only recourse was to begin where he was and use what he had.

For the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed incredible exhibitions of strength. We’ve seen legendary exhibitions of courage by American and Israeli men and women who’ve proven that their oath to give their lives for their homeland was not empty rhetoric. With no hesitation, they lept into action and did things none of us could imagine doing. Tears of gratitude have flowed freely in honor of those men and women. I don’t know if they ever read or heard about God’s command to Joshua, but they seemed to carry it out anyway. But now … What about us? 

We may not be directly involved in the military, but God made it clear that we’re engaged in a war. We aren’t being attacked by enemies with explosive ordinances, but we’re surrounded by a culture always at work to demean, suppress, and destroy anything that smacks of God’s standard for righteousness, justice, or peace. 

God’s command was not just for Joshua … It’s for us as well. And it’s time to activate and apply the strength we have. So, let’s stop wasting time passing judgment on someone else’s abilities or comparing ours with theirs. And let’s stop thinking we’re not strong enough in the right areas, or that our contributions don’t matter. The command is for each of us, and the time to begin is now. Who knows how many walls would fall and how many conquests would follow if we applied the strength God has already given us to every responsibility we have, to every task we undertake, to every battle we face – and to every mission God calls us to fulfill. 

“TWEETABLES” ~ Click to tweet and share from the pull quotes below.  Each one links directly back to this article through Twitter . . .

• • • Obviously, anything the most powerful being in the Universe says is important, but if He decides to repeat it more than once, the assessment of how important it is to Him begins to rise exponentially. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • We’ve seen legendary exhibitions of courage by American and Israeli men and women who proved their oath to give their lives for their homeland wasn’t empty rhetoric. With no hesitation, they lept into action and did things none of us could imagine doing. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)  
    • God made it clear. We’re engaged in war. It may not be through enemies with explosive ordinances, but we’re surrounded by a culture always at work to demean, suppress and destroy anything smacking of God’s standard for righteousness, justice or peace. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)
    • God’s command to be strong and courageous is for each of us and the time to begin is now. Who knows how many walls would fall if we applied the strength God already gave us to every responsibility, every task, battle and mission God calls us to fulfill. @GallaghersPen (Click here to Tweet)

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