”The Lord is the One who will go before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
Moses was preparing the Israelite people for the conquest of Canaan. They needed all of the encouragement that they could get. We get aggravated with them for their reticence, but we need to realize that from the human perspective, it would be a daunting task. Moses knew that they would need encouragement if they were to do it. He made some great promises to them to get them ready and to keep them from getting discouraged. These promises are ours as well, for the same God who was at work with Moses and Israel is the same God who is at work in our lives through Jesus. The fact that we have a loving God working with and in us should keep us from being afraid of defeat and from being discouraged by life. First, Moses assured them that the Lord would go before them. This is important. When we face moments that might discourage us, we need to remember that the Holy Spirit has gone before us to prepare the way for us. Another exciting aspect of this truth is that God knows what we will face when we get there, because He knows what is in our future. Second, Moses promised them that God would be with them. This is one of the Bible’s most consistent promises. There is never a moment that we who believe in Jesus are without His presence. Before He ascended, Jesus said that He would be with us until the end of the ages. Anytime we feel discouraged, we should remember that we are not alone. There is an old hymn that I have not heard in years that made the promise: “No never alone, no never alone. He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.” This is a great promise from the Bible as well, and it is a reality in the lives of Christian people. Whatever you are going through right now, the Lord is with you – as He promised. He will never leave you alone. Third, Moses promised that: “He will not leave you or forsake you.” Jesus is not only with us, He will stay with us. When we go through tough or challenging times, we need to realize that Jesus will not “bug out” on us. If you ever feel that the Lord has forsaken you, you need to remember that He did not move. It means that you have forsaken Him, for He has promised to never forsake you. We have all had friends who forsook us for some reason or other, but in Jesus we have a friend “who is closer than a brother.” He has what I have heard called “stickability.” If you feel forsaken of God, you are the one who came “unstuck.” There is no valley too deep, too wide or too dangerous that Jesus will not go through with you. Sometimes He will be with you as He leads you around the valley of discouragement, but, more often than not, He will go with you through the valley. Fourth, Moses promised that because of these great promises listed here that we do not need to be “afraid or discouraged.” Fear and discouragement are bad companions in our lives. But because our God goes before us, is with us and will not leave or forsake us, we do not have to experience these things. If you are a Christian, and have the presence of Christ in your life, discouragement is, as our text suggests, a waste of time. If you are discouraged at the present time, do not feel guilty and get more discouraged. Read this text, and search your Bible for other texts that will speak to your heart. Spend some time in prayer with God. He will hear you and help you through whatever it is that is discouraging you. Believe it! Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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