Sanctuary

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

Joshua probably remembered the promise given to Moses in Exodus 33:14,

The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

And he probably remembered Moses’ response in verse 15,

 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.”

I am guessing when Joshua heard these words from the Lord in Joshua 1:5, it reinforced what He had already seen, heard, and believed. These words deepened His trust in God’s presence and promises.

Are there any more comforting words to hear from our good God than, “I will be with you. I will never leave you or forsake you. No one will be able to stand against you…”?

When I rest my heart and mind in this truth, my soul can truly rest in God. Fears, doubts, worries, and all the other distractions and chaos of this world begin to slowly fade. This truth allows me to enter back into the Psalm 23 care of our Good Shepherd at any time.

But oftentimes this truth gets threatened. No doubt the enemy wants us to believe the opposite and will do anything and everything to isolate us. To make us feel unable or unworthy to meet the challenges in front of us. There will be times when it seems the whole world is standing against you. For me, it only takes one person that is intent on making sure I know they are against me to make me feel alone and threatened, unable and unworthy.

But thanks be to God for His truth! As we turn to His truth and are reminded of His promises, we can enter back into His rest. We are reminded that His presence is all we need, that His protection comes with His presence, and that His presence will never leave us or forsake us. Let us dwell together there, the Holy place of His presence and peace. Yes, please!

Reflection:

1. Do you believe these promises to Moses and Joshua apply to you? Why or why not?
2. How do you get back to the place of these truths when you find yourself believing otherwise?
3. How would you describe to a friend what it is like to have the presence of the Lord with you always?

Pray through the truth of Psalm 27.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life—
    of whom shall I be afraid?

² When the wicked advance against me
    to devour me,
it is my enemies and my foes
    who will stumble and fall.
³ Though an army besiege me,
    my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
    even then I will be confident.

⁴ One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble
    he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent
    and set me high upon a rock.

⁶Then my head will be exalted
    above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;
    I will sing and make music to the Lord.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, Lord;
    be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”
    Your face, Lord, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me,
    do not turn your servant away in anger;
    you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
    God my Savior.
¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me,
    the Lord will receive me.
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord;
    lead me in a straight path
    because of my oppressors.
¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
    for false witnesses rise up against me,
    spouting malicious accusations.

¹³ I remain confident of this:
    I will see the goodness of the Lord
    in the land of the living.
¹⁴ Wait for the Lord;
    be strong and take heart
    and wait for the Lord.

“I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.” Joshua 1:3

Can you imagine… every place that you set your foot was given to you by God? That wherever you stepped you would know God has set it before you? Not wanting or needing to try to conquer or acquire more land, rather receiving the land that has already been given to you as you take your next faithful step.

That is what it is like living as a child of the King. His Kingdom has been established, the land is His, and it is given to you as an inheritance to enjoy! 

He knew before the foundations of the earth where you would set your feet, when you would take the next step, and where it would lead you. It was yours from the beginning to walk into…

Psalm 139

¹ You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

How beautiful to know that the God of all creation, the one who holds all things in His righteous right hand, knows every step before we take it. Not only does He know, but He remains with us in it at all times. He doesn’t jump in and out depending on our needs or wants. He doesn’t get mad and leave until we make things right. He is always present.  

He was present in our past. He is present in our present. He will be present in our future. His invitation to us is to remain present in His presence as we take our next faithful step with Him. Let us continue to lean into the truth of knowing that He is with us, He has gone before us, and He hems us in from behind. When we can rest in this truth, our fears turn into praise!

Reflection:

1. How do you feel about the truth in Psalm 139?
2. What would it look like for you to move forward in total faith that God has gone before you, and He hems you in from behind?
3. How might He be inviting you to remain in His presence?

Pray through the truth of Revelation 1:4-8

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne,⁵ and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, ⁶ and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

⁷ “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”
    and “every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him”;
    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”
So shall it be! Amen.

⁸ “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

Read Joshua 1:1-9.

What would it look like to trust God so fully that fear was suddenly nonexistent? That we would walk in God’s promises so confidently that we would not make decisions or hesitate based on what we didn’t know, but would fully trust Him with all things. We would simply hold all things to Him; things in our past, things in our today, and all things ahead of us.

Can you imagine a faith journey with God with no fear? The first word that comes to my mind is freedom! There would be so much freedom to move forward in faith and in trust.

This is exactly what the Lord was inviting Joshua into as he took over the leadership of the Israelites after Moses’ death. Check out these words God spoke to Joshua again…

³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses …⁵ 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. ⁶ Be strong and courageous … ⁷ Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ 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.

In the past when I would read verses like this, I would sometimes think, “So glad God did that for him, but that doesn’t apply to me.” Or sometimes it gives me a momentary boost of confidence or courage, like a coffee mug quote, but it quickly fades with the next challenge or difficult circumstance. 

But recently I am seeing these verses as invitations to rest further into the character and nature of God.  God desires to form His character and nature in us, and He uses these stories to invite us to trust Him with the same faith as the faithful before us because He is the same God.

When we can read His Word through this lens, we begin to receive it more personally. This lens moves it from a story about someone else to a way of me becoming more and more like Christ by living into His promises.

These truths about God’s character, when fully lived into, replace our weaknesses with His supernatural strength. Our timidity with His bold courage. Our fear with unhindered trust in His presence and power.

Let’s continue to lean into the character and nature of God that He is inviting us into through these promises. As we do, I pray “that He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16) so that we may live together more fully and freely in Him!

Reflection:

1. Do you have a hard time believing these promises are for you today?  Why or why not?
2. What would it look like for you to move forward in total faith in God’s promises, without fear?
3. Which of the promises in Joshua 1 are you most excited to live into? Which do you think might be the hardest to live into?

Pray through the truth of Psalm 34:4-9

I sought the Lord, and he answered me;
    he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
    their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the Lord heard him;
    he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
    and he delivers them.⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his holy people,
    for those who fear him lack nothing.

Pray through the truth found in Psalm 139.1-18

“You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
⁵ You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
    and the light become night around me,”
¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
    the night will shine like the day,
    for darkness is as light to you.

¹³ For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well.
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
    when I was made in the secret place,
    when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes saw my unformed body;
    all the days ordained for me were written in your book
    before one of them came to be.
¹⁷ How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
    How vast is the sum of them!
¹⁸ Were I to count them,
    they would outnumber the grains of sand—
    when I awake, I am still with you.”