No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. Joshua 1:5 (NIV)
What a powerful scripture! The Lord reveals His faithfulness to Joshua, reminding him that He will be with him as He was with Moses. Knowing how close The Lord was with Moses,
What a guarantee!
While The Lord was commissioning Joshua for His life's work, He reassured Joshua of His attributes and that He will protect, deliver, and remain faithful to him for the rest of his life!
We, too, have this confidence. As The Lord was with those He called and purposed throughout scripture and history, He will be with you and me in all He has purposed and called us to be and do.
As I was reading Joshua 1:5, it took me back to Exodus 33:11, where the Lord stood in a pillar of cloud at the Tabernacle of Meeting and spoke to Moses face-to-face, as one would talk to a friend. As verse eleven continues, Moses makes a point to share with us how he left the Tabernacle, and Joshua, the son of Nun, was still there and did not depart with him. Joshua stayed in the presence of The Lord.
When I first read that verse, it pierced my heart and stirred a deep hunger within me. Moses gives us a glimpse into Joshua's heart, hungering after God, by revealing his desire to stay in His presence even though his leader had gone home. Joshua was hungering after more of the presence of the Lord.
My prayer is, Lord, let us burn with hunger for you; let us be those who desire your presence more than anything else.
Those who have a heart after Jesus and pursue a relationship with Him will be used for greater works!
Following Moses's leadership, Joshua became an Imitator of Moses's heart towards The Lord. Following Moses's example, Joshua's heart caught fire and became hungry and passionate for The Lord's presence.
Moses represents those who lead and spiritually father from a genuine hunger and pursuit of God. Those sons and daughters, like Joshua, who yield and follow will be led by example. They will take on the very heartbeat and passion for Jesus that their spiritual leaders have exemplified.
The Lord saw Joshua's heart and desire for Him. The Lord knew Him, and Joshua knew The Lord. The Lord knew He could trust him to lead His people into the promised land!
It is our pursuit of Jesus that reveals our hearts. The Spirit of The Lord is looking for people who prioritize their relationship with Him over everything else. That is what I love about Moses; he shows the significance of being in the presence of The Lord to lead and deliver God's people; Moses reveals that His predecessor has the same heart.
Those who have a heart after Jesus and pursue a relationship with Him will be used for greater works!
We can easily get caught up in doing all the spiritual work and not be in a right relationship with the one we are doing it all for. We can easily stray from Father God's ways and move out of a wrong heart and spirit. However, if we pursue the presence of the Lord and our eyes stay fixed on Jesus, we will remain on the course that He has set us on, renewed daily in our spirit, soul, and body to become more like Jesus.
My prayer is that we fall passionately in love with Jesus. That excitement arises within us that we can be in a relationship with our Creator. I pray that our hearts will hunger and burn for Jesus as we are transformed into His likeness.
