After Moses the Lord’s servant died, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant: “Moses my servant is dead. Get ready! Cross the Jordan River. Lead these people into the land that I am ready to hand over to them. …I will not abandon you or leave you alone. Be strong and brave! You must lead these people in the conquest of this land that I solemnly promised their ancestors I would hand over to them. Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep. Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. This law scroll must not leave your lips. You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful. I repeat, be strong and brave! Don’t be afraid and don’t panic, for I, the Lord your God, am with you in all you do.” Joshua 1:1-2, 5-9
New English Translation
Here, we read about Joshua, the new leader of the Israelites charged with the task of leading them into the Promised Land. He is the successor to Moses, the one who God used to bring the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Imagine the things that must be going through Joshua’s head. Moses was in charge of leading the people out of slavery, God used him to bring plagues on Pharaoh, and the Hebrew people had been a real pain in the neck to Moses numerous times. If I were Joshua, this promotion might make me freak out a little. No wonder God kept telling him to be brave.
The cool thing is, this transition of leadership is not the first time we read about Joshua. In Exodus, we learn that Joshua was with Moses. He went up the mountain when Moses spoke to God, and he’d join Moses as he went into the tent where the presence of the Lord was. We even see in Exodus 33 that Joshua would linger in the Lord’s presence even after Moses was done.
In those moments, Joshua wasn’t the leader. He didn’t have the massive responsibility that Moses had. Yet, Joshua was seeking God and spending time with Him. In the moments behind the scenes, Joshua was letting God prep him for the big moments to come. We don’t know if Joshua had any idea that God was planning on making him a leader in the future. All we know is that Joshua intentionally made God a part of his life, which made him ready for what was to come in the future.
When God instructs Joshua to keep His commands and to meditate on them day and night, all He was telling Joshua was don’t stop being faithful to me. Just because the big moment has come doesn’t mean you should stop prepping yourself by seeking God and letting Him into your life. God wanted Joshua to realize that the preparation made a difference, but it wasn’t supposed to stop.
The preparation isn’t so you don’t have to do it when the big things happen. You prepare so that you’re ready to do it even when life is overwhelming and a little scary. Think about it. Would you want the EMT to only practice putting an IV in someone when there is an emergency? No! You’d want them to keep prepping and practicing so when the times with pressure, distractions, and massive responsibility come, they can do it again without freaking out.
Here’s my question: Are you prepared for the big things in your life? Do you spend time seeking God and practice letting Him be the center of your life so that when the greater things come you’re ready to keep Him in the center? Be open and honest with yourself. We self-evaluate not so we can shame ourselves, but so we can make sure we’re on the right track and have a chance to change what needs changed. If you’re struggling to prep well, now’s a great time to set aside specific time in the Word and prayer and to find a trusted individual who can support you in this. Remember, we want God to be so a part of our lives that when God gives us more, or even when life just gets a little crazy, we can still do right by God in those moments by inviting Him into it all. Will you prepare well?