S82P6 – The beauty of the call: Joshua
Jos. 1:8-9
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall read it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything in accordance with all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will be successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not be terrified or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
I was very new to the position and did not expect to be in charge of anyone or anything for a long time. I had no idea that only one month into my time at that job I would be asked to step up and lead others who had been there much longer than I had. It was to be only a temporary assignment while another colleague was out on vacation, but it ended up being much more than that. I agreed to fill the role only because there really was no other choice, and I received much encouragement going into that week. The encouragement was great, but something was lacking. There was no promise, no guarantee, that this little experiment would go well. That was what I really wanted, to know that my assignment would not be the total disaster it turned out to be.
One of the best things about God calling us to do work for his kingdom is that we receive a guarantee when we say “yes” to him. The promise is not that things will go smoothly or as we might hope, but we are guaranteed that God will be with us. He does not call us forth to do anything without knowing that it in fact can be done. We might not have the strength or the knowledge or the patience, but He has everything in abundance to pour out in us. This is the promise He gave to Joshua. The circumstance might have been something to be feared, but God let him know that courage was the right choice because God was there. Fear of failure is unnecessary when we have the guarantee of God completing that which He starts.
One of the most interesting things about God is that, although He leaves much for us to discover, not everything is unknown when He calls us. The road might be a mystery but the destination is always his completed work when we submit and obey. His faithfulness is guaranteed, and we only need to add our faithfulness to the equation for the calling to be a success. Following God might be a series of mysteries which take much time to reveal, but it is no gamble. We are promised that He will give us what we need to finish the work He has begun by calling us. Father, give us the courage and confidence to submit to You and follow every time You call us, knowing that we can trust You to complete the work You call us to begin.