“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed” He is with you. He is the Way.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” ~ Joshua 1:9

This verse is the capstone completing God’s commissioning of Joshua. In this verse and the eight that precede it, God is calling Joshua to step up and speak out as he  continues the work of his predecessor, Moses.

More than a commission, this charge from God Himself is a command, and the seven words smack dab in the middle of this verse caught my eye and moved my heart...

“do not be afraid, nor be dismayed”

The two words AFRAID and DISMAYED not only sound similar, they have similar meanings. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines them this way:

AFRAID — feeling fear or anxiety

DISMAYED — consternation and distress cause by something unexpected

and because I wasn’t exactly sure what consternation meant, I looked that up, too...

consternation — feelings of anxiety or dismay, typically at something unexpected

So, there you have it, God Himself, at the end of his commission of Joshua to lead the Israelites into the promised land, reminds him in this verse, both with words and with structure that He will be with Him, and because of that, there is nothing to fear or be anxious about.

That charge to not be AFRAID or DISMAYED is surrounded by these words that serve as a reminder of why he should not fear nor be anxious about being taken off guard:

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage...”

and

“... for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Just as God commissioned and called Joshua, He calls us, too. Me and you. Into a relationship with Him by way of His Son, Jesus. To walk with Him daily into all the places He is calling us to go.

And just as the structure of Joshua 1:9 suggests, and as He did for Joshua and David, and other heroes of the faith, He goes BEFORE us and hems us in from BEHIND.

“You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.” ~ Psalm 139:5

That promise alone should be our strength and song. He wraps us up in the protection of the promise of Himself, His Presence, His Provision, and His Perfect Love.

So, dear friend, go forth in the strength of the Lord today. It is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9), it is found in your joy (Nehemiah 8:10), and reminds you:

“Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed” He is with you. He is the Way.