Have you ever felt that you were making no progress toward your goal? You pay off the credit card, then the washing machine breaks. You mop the floor, then the dog tracks in muddy footprints. We won’t even talk about the endless mounds of laundry! Maybe you want a deeper walk with God and don’t feel that you are making any progress. Seeing God do great things in the lives of others when we are faltering can be discouraging. How do we make progress in our relationship with God? How do we know Him better? The people of Israel struggled with the desire to see God do great things in their lives as well. The first chapter of Joshua is where obedience and blessing meet to produce the manifestation of God’s presence in a marvelous way.
As the new leader of the Israelites, Joshua had big shoes to fill after the death of Moses. There is nothing like a seemingly impossible task as your first assignment as leader! Almost to the Promised Land, the Israelites feared the obstacle of crossing of the Jordan River. They were discouraged. They had traveled so long and so far, it seemed that as soon as they had made some progress, another hindrance lay before them. I can relate to the feeling of taking two steps forward, then three steps backward, making no progress at all for my efforts. What barriers are you facing in your desire for progress? What can we do to move forward in our relationship with God?
God told Joshua how to conquer obstacles in order to make progress toward possessing the Promised Land. “Be strong and courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:7,8).
In a condensed version, God was saying, “Be confident, be cognizant, and be connected.” Being strong and courageous is about putting our confidence in God’s strength instead of our own. Obedience is about being cognizant and informed so that we not only know what is right, but we evaluate whether we are walking along the right path. Meditating on the Word of God is about being connected to God so that scripture takes root in our hearts to impact our lives. Being confident, cognizant, and connected will help us reach our purpose of a deeper walk with God.
Joshua told the people, “Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” I want to consecrate myself to His purpose for me and my progress toward that. And the Lord will do amazing things.
