[Joshua 1:9] “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

The park was on the way to school. Adam found himself drawn to this place where he first began to awaken. He would leave home a little bit early, so he would have some time to linger on a picnic table.

He sat down on the table top, putting his feet on the bench. He took a moment to look around. He took in the trees and the grass. The stillness of the play structure with the swings hanging, waiting for some enthusiastic child to jump on. But now it was silent. He tuned out the traffic and settled into the space, just watching. Waiting.

He sensed the Lord’s presence. He was there with him. Not sitting next to him exactly, just kind of around. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Again. And then again. With each breath he felt himself slowing down, calming down, unhurried, not anxious. Just being there. With Jesus.

After a few moments he pulled out his phone and opened his Bible app.

Joshua was Moses’ apprentice. Moses was mentoring and groom Joshua to become the next leader over Israel. He didn’t know a lot of the story yet, but he had seen the movie. God talked to Moses in a burning bush, used him to get the Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt, and then some dramatic stuff on a mountain. But something had happened that kept the people wandering in the desert for a long-time. Adam was curious about that but he hadn’t looked it up yet. Moses had died out there and Joshua had to step up and take over.  Adam pondered the verse, [Joshua 1:9]

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Strong and courageous. Not frightened. Not dismayed.  As he thought about those words, the power of them, the kind of superhero quality of them. He thought of Iron Man and Captain America. The Marvel Universe is filled with guys like that. Thor. Black Widow. But that’s just Hollywood. He’d never really seen anybody real like that.

Adam’s eyes shifted over to the big oak tree. He looked deeply into it. Solid. Strong. Stable. He looked at the shade the leaves provided. Great cover on a hot day. Those leaves are going to be turning soon. They’ll get all golden and then they’ll drop. Dead. But not the tree. It had to have been there for a long time. Probably even before they put the park in. It will probably be there for a long time. That thing is sturdy. It might even be there long after the park is gone.

He stayed on that thought.  Oak Tree. Strong. Sturdy. I’ll bet that tree is never frightened or dismayed.

He is though. Every time he steps on campus, he’s wondering what others are thinking about him. Sometimes it’s a specific thing. Is the new shirt he’s wearing cool enough? Is he projecting “large and in charge,” or sending out the sense of neediness deep inside? Are people picking up how vulnerable he feels? He can’t have that. He remembers how the weak kids were always picked on in elementary school. That’s not going to be him. He almost never lets anybody know how he’s really feeling. He does a good job of looking cool and in control all the time. But the truth is, lots of times he isn’t.

Strong and courageous. That’s what he wants to be. Like Moses. Like Joshua.

What did Joshua feel after Moses died? The question appeared in his mind, focusing his attention. That had to be a heavy deal, picking up where Moses left off.

Moses seemed to be the closest thing to a real action hero in the Bible. Confronting Pharaoh, parting the Red Sea, putting down rebellion, leading God’s people in the desert for forty years!  Imagine stepping into those shoes.

Did Joshua feel strong and courageous? Like that oak tree? He must have felt like a weed next to Moses!

Adam pondered the question. Then it came to him. Like the question, just appearing in his thoughts as he pondered. Of course Joshua didn’t feel strong and courageous! That’s why God spoke to him, to encourage him, to let him know that He would be with him everywhere he went, in every situation and challenge. Joshua wouldn’t be handling stuff alone.

“…for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” [Joshua 1:5]

Joshua wasn’t alone. He was never alone. God was letting him know that he would be there to help him. All the time, wherever he went, whatever he did.

Adam stayed in that thought, allowing the truth of it, the wonder of it, the power of it to sink in.

“I guess God is with me, everywhere I go, too.” Adam said to himself. He opened his heart to that promise. It made him feel, well, “strong and courageous!”

Adam stood up, “Hey God, let’s go to school.  God you are so present.”

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.””
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭31‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬