Dave spoke this morning from Joshua 3:1-4 about confidence in the future. Joshua was the leader appointed by God after the death of Moses to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land. They had been wandering in the wilderness after the miraculous exodus from Egypt for forty years; only Caleb and Joshua were left from that generation, as the rest did not believe God could help them to take the land. At this point, the Israelites were on the brink of the River Jordan. They were in unfamiliar territory, about to enter the Promised Land, but this was an unnerving situation for them. How would they respond? Would they have the faith to go in?
Each new year brings with it possibilities and challenges, but most of all, it brings the unknown to us. We can feel daunted and even afraid of the unknown, but ulltimately we need not fear, because we have a God who will lead and provide. All we need is faith that He will do this.
A fear of new things can greatly hinder us; it can prevent us from obtaining what God has for us. Fear, uncertainty and doubt cloud our vision, but we can be delivered from these things. The word of God to Joshua was encouraging and positive, but he needed to meditate on this, as do we. We must be proactive in letting God’s word push fear away. We have to keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Lord and commit ourselves to following Him wherever He may lead. Our natural tendency is often to say no, but we must learn to depend on the faithfulness of God. The future may be unknown to us, but it is not unknown to God, and because of this we can have confidence in the future.
