Do Not Fear

Today’s verse in Joshua tells us we should be courageous because God will be with us wherever we go and in any circumstance. Oftentimes we can focus on false evidence appearing real (FEAR) and become overwhelmed with unknowns, what we cannot control, or the details of hard experiences. Courage is moving forward despite our fears knowing we may not be promised a life without difficulty, but we are promised God will always walk with us. 

My precious mother passed away several months ago after a difficult battle with cancer. My father and mother had not only been married for almost 60 years but were inseparable: Whether it was a trip to the grocery store or a trip to see their children, they were together. 

My dad has spoken on more than one occasion about the day he watched the helicopter airlift my mother from their hometown to the nearest hospital 2 hours away. He talks of the overwhelming emptiness and fear he had when they were not together. This experience was like no other; He couldn’t go with her, and he did not know what the future held. With a peace and passion that only God can elicit, he describes that moment as one where he was forced to trust God with my mother—to trust Him with her absence—and to lean into God for his comfort and guidance. A light comes into my dad’s eyes when he talks about that day. The light is not because everything turned out okay. It is from the fact that in the moment of potential fear and discouragement, God showed up and my dad embraced it. God walked with my father then. And He walks with him still. 

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Father God, I pray that you will give me the strength and courage to have faith and trust in your promise; the promise that you will be with me in any circumstance life sends my way whether good or bad. I pray you will give me joy and peace despite my circumstances, resting on the knowledge that you see me, love me, and are with me wherever I go. Amen.