Surviving the Hardest Moments
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 01: 09)
I have been fortunate in my life thus far to stand beside loved ones who have been going through the hardest moments in life. I have passionately encouraged them to hold on to their faith, and I have pushed them to move on in life rather than stagnating. However, when the same hard moments came in my own life, I was shattered. I became stagnant. I could not look beyond what I could see. I needed help to get back on track. This makes me understand that sharing our beliefs about surviving may look easy, but putting these very beliefs into practice is hard. Therefore, we may have to find answers to the following questions.
What keeps us moving? What helps us survive and overcome the hardest moments in life? Ultimately, what provides us with the belief that we will survive and what assures us the strength to be practical about this belief? We find the answers in Joshua 01: 09. There is a command from God, and we find a great calling wrapped inside this command, then, a reminder to be strong and to be courageous; a calling to be away from fear, and to be encouraged rather than being discouraged, and finally an assurance of His everlasting presence. I would like to meditate on these three elements in this verse - God's command, His reminder and the assurance for the hard times.
God commands us to be strong and courageous. God says, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous." God does not say that life would be easy or our walk would be steady all the time. However, when we go through the hardest moments in life, despite the difficult circumstances around us, we are commanded to be strong and courageous with the assurance that we find in the Lord. I want to reiterate the word command at this point before we move further. It is God's commandment to be strong and courageous. In moments when we see a storm brewing on the horizon, when we realise that hard times are ahead, when fear surrounds us like a dark cloud, we are to remember what our commander has commanded. The first commandment is to be strong and courageous, for the Lord our God is in control.
God reminds us not to be afraid and discouraged. We read God reminding us, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." God is concerned about us. He remembers we are human. He understands we are vulnerable. He is sensitive to the fact that we are easily overwhelmed. And, our loving Lord, knowing very well our weaknesses, is very much concerned about the two things that can take over everything that we have - fear and discouragement. God reminds us not to be afraid of the hard times ahead. He wants us to be away from fear and set our focus on Him. And then, God also reminds us not to be discouraged. He wants us to keep away from any kind of discouragement and calls us to be encouraged, not forgetting His mighty move in the past as we faced difficult times.
God assures us His presence in the hardest moments. The assurance is, "the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." When we get ready to face difficult times, it is not easy to count what we have with us. It is not the time to value things around us. And at such times, we find ourselves overwhelmed with fear and discouragement, and we don't know where to go for help. And God, our precious saviour and refuge, not only commands us to be strong and courageous and reminds us to keep away from fear and discouragement, but also assures His presence in the midst of the forthcoming storm. What a privilege it is to have God with us! And this one assurance helps us to know that the One who is already with us is much greater than the situation that is nearing us. What an assurance the Lord gives us.
As we continue to walk closer with God, I want to take this time to encourage you to once again look back at Joshua 01: 09. I want you to ponder the command, the reminder and the assurance that God our Father has given us. Next time, when you see from your ship and notice a storm brewing on the horizon, when you look from your comfort zone and know that soon there's going to be calamity surrounding you, run to pick up these three tools from your Boatswain's locker. Remember God's command to be strong and courageous, His reminder not to be afraid and discouraged, and His assurance of being with you through all times and places.
