Day 38 – Deuteronomy: Change in leadership

Reading: Deuteronomy 31:1 to Deuteronomy 34:12

“Then Moses called for Joshua, and as all Israel watched, he said to him, “Be strong and courageous! For you will lead these people into the land that the Lord swore to their ancestors he would give them. You are the one who will divide it among them as their grants of land. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:7-8 NLT

It was time to hand over the proverbial torch as leader of Israel. Moses lived an upright life regardless of his own mistakes, but because of his disobedience, he did not have the privilege of setting foot in the Promised Land. I used to think this was very unfair because Moses led Israel out of Egypt, through the wilderness and was the mediator between the Lord and the people – but God is just and fair.

Moses blessed Joshua with encouragement and strength and the words “He will neither fail you nor abandon you” resonates within our souls today too. Doing something new or going somewhere new takes courage because of our hesitant nature of “what if”. But, as children of God, “what ifs” turn to “why not” because of our faith in God who we KNOW will never leave us and gave us the entirety of His Word as encouragement.

Prayer: Father, thank You that we can be encouraged through the chosen leaders and the Word You gave them. May we, like Joshua, have the courage to embrace the unknown, knowing that you will fight for us. Amen.