Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Mar 12th, 2021 A Simple Faith? … by Caitlin Tarr

Today’s Passage – Joshua 1 – 4 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Thessalonians 1 – 5; Proverbs 12; Psalms 56 – 60)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – James 4:10

Read the “0312 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Where are the Strong and Courageous Men?”

There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them. Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest. This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest. (Joshua 1:5-9)

Moses is dead and God has chosen Joshua to lead Israel into the promised land after 40 years wandering in the wilderness. Joshua has big shoes to fill after Moses. He had to wonder if he was a worthy successor to Moses. God laid it out the way in Joshua 1:1-9. Simple right? It would be if faith was simple. But faith isn’t simple. It takes strength and courage. The same strength and courage that God promised Joshua. The strength and courage needed to lead the people into the promise land that is offered to us if we show the simple faith needed to obey God’s commandments no matter how hard the challenge before us is. 

There are going to be times in our life when the challenges set before us seem too great for us to overcome. Times when our faith fails us because faith isn’t simple. Times when we need to remember that the promises that God gave Joshua are there for us. One of those promises is at Joshua 1:5, “There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.”  With God on our side, despite the challenges, no enemy will be able to stand against us, no challenge is too great … if we have a simple faith. 

Joshua 1:9 carries a challenge and a promise, “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” It’s just a question of simple faith … right? No, because there will be times when our faith falters, when the strength and courage God give us seems out of reach, when faith doesn’t seem a simple thing. There will be times when we find ourselves afraid, discouraged and facing defeat. All of this, even though we know that the God of the Universe is going to be with us wherever we go … if we simply have faith.

As the book of Joshua continues, the story of his faith, continues as he faces the challenges that God sets before him. Imagine what would be possible if we had his simple faith and depended on the strength and courage that God provides us as he did to Joshua!