be strong and courageous

Since my thoughts have been of home this month, I will share a short story in devotional form about something that happened in the States. This event took place a few years ago but still remains to be one of my most embarrassing moments.

Read Deuteronomy 31:1-8

Key Passage: Be strong and courageous, because you have to go with these people into the land that the Lord promised their ancestors… Deuteronomy 31: 7

We have been back for our second stateside assignment only a few weeks now. Having lived overseas for about 7 years, I am somewhat stressed about living in America again. I always wonder if I am going to "fit in" anywhere anymore. Missionaries seem to never fully belong in foreign countries. Also once we have lived in other countries for extended periods of time, we seem to lose a small portion of our native ways. I have been trying to encourage myself to be strong and of good courage. It hasn't been too bad lately, until an interesting thing happened last night.

We joined a fairly large church in our hometown, And this week we had a conference going on with some well known evangelists and preachers from the southeast. My children need to go to the bathroom in intervals during the sermon. Why they can't wait for a short hour service in America to be over with is beyond my understanding. In Russia they seem to be able to wait through the 2 1/2- 3 hour services when bathrooms are scarce. When we reentered the church service, we quietly slipped in the back, stood in the corner, and tried not to disturb the ending of the service. But I inadvertently leaned against the wall while looking for a seat near the back of a crowded sanctuary and suddenly felt something press on my back. As I silently moaned and rolled my eyes in disbelief, I noticed that the lights started to dim in the church. Then the entire sanctuary went dark during a crucial moment in the service. So much for not knowing about the new inconspicuous light switches that have appeared in America, and so much for trying not to disturb the service. Needless to say, I'll adapt, just as I did in Russia. We are missionaries, right?

In Deuteronomy 31:6, the passage reads, "Be strong and courageous… don’t be afraid of them, because the Lord your God is going with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you." In the following verses Moses speaks the same words to Joshua as he passes his leadership over to him. He promises Joshua that the Lord has already gone ahead of him into the land promised, yet unknown to the children of Israel. He mentions that he should not be afraid and always remember that the Lord is continually with him.

Application: We can apply this to our lives as well. No matter what type of situation we are in at the moment, we are not alone. The great thing is God has already been there. He has scoped out the area. We are coming in to a territory that is familiar to Him, and we have nothing to fear. No matter what we experience, we can be strong and have courage.

A couple of questions to ponder:

1. What are you afraid of?
2. If you really believed that God is with you, no matter what, what would you try to accomplish for Him?

A Winter's Path, path 53, L.Burch