During my morning devotional time I was reading from the Book of Joshua. After Moses’ death, Joshua is appointed leader over Israel as God is preparing them to enter the promised land. In verse 9 God says to Joshua “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Even though that was written thousands of years ago, I felt as though God was speaking those words to us for today.
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As we come out of Covid it feels to me like we have been through our own season of wandering in the wilderness. And I do believe that God is leading us to a new and better place. But like the Israelites entering the promised land, that will not come without its struggles and challenges. The world around us is changing. That change has actually been going on for a long time. But Covid has accelerated that change. And if we as a church are going to be effective and fruitful in ministry to this changing world, we will have to change. Let's be clear. God does not change. The Great Commission to share Jesus with the world does not change. But methodology does change. So we must be prepared to adapt how we go about this mission that God has called us to.
I think we all know that change is not easy. But as I consider the challenges that we will face, I hear that promise that God gave to Joshua. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you.”
The exciting part of this story is that after all those years in the wilderness, God was leading them to the promised land. A place of abundance and blessing. And I believe if we will courageously face the challenges before us, God will lead us to a place a promise, a blessing. God has blessed us in so many ways, and we've had some great years of ministry in the past. But I believe that the best is yet to come.
So I want to encourage us today. Transitioning from the desert to the promised land is not easy. There will be battles to be fought and challenges to overcome. But do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For our God will be with us wherever we go.
Have a blessed week.
Pastor Steve