God Is With UsSample

God's presence makes the impossible possible

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 ESV)

The Lord God had led the people of Israel from Egypt to their new land, Canaan. But they could not simply walk in and settle there. Various other ethnic groups were already living there. They had been so wicked for generations that God had had enough; He would punish them. Therefore, He had promised the Israëlites: “The Lord your God will go before you and will destroy these nations before you, and you will dispossess them.” (Deuteronomy 31:3 ESV)

So there stood the people on the border of Canaan with the promise that this land would be theirs, but also with the reality of hostile peoples they still had to defeat. Moreover, their leader, Moses had died. He was succeeded by Joshua. No wonder he dreaded his task!

Joshua, and with him the whole people, received these encouraging words: “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8 ESV)

And indeed, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” (Joshua 21:45 ESV)

Do you ever face an impossible task? Does God's presence make a difference in that, and if so, how?