I Will Not Leave You Nor Forsake You

Synopsis     Joshua 1:1-11     4/6/2018

God spoke to Joshua. He told him that it was time for the Israelites to enter the land. God confirmed that everywhere Joshua had previously visited 38 years before, would be given to the Israelites. And, He promised Joshua that He would be with him as He was with Moses.

God commanded Joshua that the book of the law should never depart from his lips – that he should always be meditating on the law.

Joshua sent officers throughout the camp directing the Israelites to prepare provisions and to be ready to cross the Jordan.

I Will Not Leave You Nor Forsake You

Psalms 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will act.” God promised Joshua success if he meditated on His law always. He said, “I will not leave you nor forsake you.” The knowledge of God’s law was Joshua’s hope for success in accomplishing the extraordinary mission of invading the Promised Land.

Tuning Yourself to God

We all have, more-or-less, the same human capacities. We have the ability to pay attention, to know things, to take action, to relate to God and others, and to value the things and relationships that fill our lives. But as we grow and develop, these capacities grow and change with us – hopefully they mature with us.

What’s interesting is that all of these are capacities that we have some control over. We can develop a greater ability to focus our attention. We can learn really important things. We can develop relationship skills. And we can even train our minds to recognize what’s truly valuable.

And when we use God’s truth as the means by which we train these capacities, then we find ourselves attuned to the God of all creation. And when a human being is attuned to the Word of God, anything is possible.

“But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming.” John 16:13