Joshua 1:5-6
…As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall [a]divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
Happy New Year!!!
A new year signifies a new beginning, a fresh start, an opportunity for something new. But a new year can also be scary, filled with uncertainty and fear, especially if the previous year did not end well.
Joshua is about to enter into a new phase in his life. He is to take over from Moses who is dead and this is no small task. God is asking Joshua to do what Moses could not do, take the children of Israel into the land of promise, and this means battle.
God assured Joshua that he would be with him as he was with Moses and no man would be able to stand before him because if he stuck with God, God would have his back each time every time.
What a reassurance, think about that, what would you do if you had the assurance that God was with you all the way? Would the size of the obstacle before you make you shake in your boots? I don’t think so.
But is that not the assurance that God gave us already?
John 14:16
16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another [a]Helper, that He may abide with you forever.
The reason we lose courage and become afraid is that we start relying on our strength. Like the children of Israel, we look at the obstacle before us and we look like grasshoppers in our sight, we forget that it is not us but Christ who lives in us who has already secured the victory on our behalf.
2024 the new year is here and it’s already rolling. The year may look bleak for you because things are tough, and maybe your 2023 had numerous challenges. This one thing is for sure, you are not facing the new year alone. God is with us, and he has already gone before us. What we must do in this new year is to trust the Lord with all our hearts and lean not on our own understanding, we must acknowledge him in all our ways and he will direct our path.
Reflections
What are you looking forward to in 2024?
What are some reasons to cause you to fear, and how will you deal with them?
What reassurance do you have that God is with you?
