Leadership has never been easy, so it’s no wonder that God had to tell Joshua to “Be strong and courageous” three times in this short passage. But God also gave Joshua three good reasons for such confidence, three reasons that still apply to God’s people today.

In verse 9, God promised to be with Joshua wherever he went on his journey to conquer the Promised Land. And didn’t Jesus make the same promise to His disciples, as He sent them forth on their Great Commission to make disciples of all the nations? “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Yes, the good news is that as we seek to expand God’s kingdom by spreading the gospel, we can be sure that He will be with us.

But we shouldn’t expect God to bless our efforts if we aren’t trying to accomplish His will. For notice in verse 7 that the Lord links Joshua’s ability to be strong and courageous with his obedience to God’s Word. No, Joshua could only be sure of prosperity and success if he submitted his desires to God’s good and perfect will.

And that’s still the case for all who would follow Christ: “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (I John 5:14-15).

But Joshua had one more reason to be strong and courageous, even in the face of the worst of his foes: God Himself guaranteed the success of everything He sent Joshua to do: “You shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them” (verse 7). And why? Because “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses” (verse 3). Joshua would indeed gain the victory, but only because God won the battles for him.

So today, let’s be strong and courageous. Let’s be confident in the God Who is with us, seeking to determine the direction He has for our lives, and striving to obey Him more consistently in every way. For the closer we stick to Him, the more certain we can be that He will fulfill His promises in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones – in His way, and in His time.

Joshua 1:1-9 (NASB)

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the LORD that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying,
2 “Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.
3 “Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses.
4 “From the wilderness and this Lebanon, even as far as the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and as far as the Great Sea toward the setting of the sun, will be your territory.
5 “No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you.
6 “Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 “Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
8 “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
9 “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”