Strong & Courageous

"This is my command - be strong & courageous!  Do not be afraid or discouraged.  For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

Joshua 1:9

I feel like we hear this verse a lot...& I like that because it's one of my favorites.  We hear the story about Joshua & the battle of Jericho.  If you're like me, you probably still have that song stuck in your head..."Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho...Joshua fought the battle of Jericho & the walls came tumbling down!"

The other night I found out that I didn't get the internship that was my first choice.  I knew it was a long shot (10 positions, 230 people applied), but I kind of had my heart set on it.  I was ok with it...disappointed, sure...but while I know that would be a good option, God has a great plan that is so much better.  And that wasn't one of those things I just told myself...I really believed it.

Since the beginning of the year I've been following the reading plan my Bible has laid out.  Love that, by the way.  So later I turned to see what I was supposed to read that day.  Joshua 1.  

Something jumped out at me that never has before.  God tells commands Joshua 3 times to be "strong & courageous.  It's not written anywhere in this chapter that Joshua was nervous or scared or that He doubted that God could just make those walls crumble...but he was a human being!  Of course he was scared to death!  God knew his fears and just spoke to his heart, telling him that He would never leave him.  

And then comes the really cool part.  Towards the end of the chapter after Joshua has told his men the plan (probably thinking that they were going to laugh at him), they said they'd do whatever he told them to do.  Not only that, they go on & on about how they will obey him as they did Moses & just show so much respect for their leader.  And then...the last thing they say is..."be strong & courageous."  God used Joshua's men and reaffirmed the very thing that He'd been repeating to Joshua this whole time.  He knew exactly what Joshua needed at all times & He made sure that Joshua was confident of that.

So, yeah...it'd be really easy to be afraid that I won't find a job.  Or to get discouraged after filling out 12 billion job applications both for now & for after graduation (58 days!).  But I'm not.  I want GREAT...not just good...& I know He won't abandon me.