Strength and Courage (Sep. 23)

Read: Joshua 1:1-9

Continual meditation on God’s Word gives us the courage to trust and obey God.

I was recently reading a book to my oldest daughter about Gladys Aylward. She was a missionary in the 1900s to China. Her story is an amazing one, where you can clearly see many instances of God working through her to reach the lost people of China. When I finished the book, it was all I could talk about that week. I felt a lot of excitement and told more than one person about some of the stories of God doing miraculous things. Honestly, my own faith was encouraged, and it was a wonderful reminder that God does amazing things through his people.

Scripture, of course, is the ultimate book about God working through people to accomplish His work. Knowing how God has worked in the past can greatly encourage us and give us boldness in our faith. In Joshua 1:1-9, at the climax of God’s charge to Joshua to conquer the land, is the instruction to meditate on scripture. This is at the center of God’s instructions, so that as Israel meditated on the passages they would see God‘s faithfulness. From the Abrahamic Covenant to the history of how God brought them out of Egypt, they would see God‘s promises and past provisions. This gives confidence and courage that God will continue to do what He has promised and would have empowered Israel to trust and obey God.

The same principles are true for us. Meditation on scripture, time spent actively thinking about it, gives the ability to know what the Word of God says so that it can inform our decisions. Meditation goes beyond studying the Bible or reading it. The key idea is pondering or dwelling on the words. Meditation allows us to go from knowing something about God to thinking about it repeatedly and intentionally giving the Spirit opportunity to illuminate the scripture, convicting us of anything that is not lining up with the truth we find in God’s Word.

Action Step: Take time now to practice meditating. Find a quiet place and start with the prayer below. Choose a scripture to meditate on, either from the list below or one that comes to mind. Ideas for meditation:

  • Write the words of the passage or verse
  • Speak the words out loud
  • Write down key words and create a drawing around them
  • Read quietly to yourself.

Optional passages for meditation:

  • Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:31-34, Ephesians 2:4-10, 1 Chronicles 29:11, Psalm 46, Isaiah 40:26, James 1:2-3, Philippians 4:8, Corinthians 13:4-7, Matthew 6:26-27

Prayer: Lord, bring to mind now any areas of my life where You are asking for my obedience. Help me through the scripture I focus on today to give You the glory You deserve. Let the Word of God be alive and active in my heart. Ultimately Lord, fill me with courage and strength to do the hard things that You are calling me to do. Amen

Author: Anna Brobst