June 7: Strong and courageous 

Focal Passage: Joshua 1:1-11

The summer after my third-grade year, my church took the children’s ministry to a camp in Tennessee. My friends and I were especially excited about one attraction called “the blob.” It was a large inflatable floating in the lake beside a wooden tower. The goal was simple: jump from the tower onto the blob and launch someone else into the water.

When we finally got there, however, nobody wanted to jump. The tower looked much higher in person, and suddenly we were all terrified. We stood in line for what felt like forever, waiting for someone to go first. Eventually my friends volunteered me, saying, “Ben will do it, he’s crazy!” What they did not know was that I was just as afraid as they were. The jump seemed impossible, and I needed courage to take the leap.

If I felt that way about jumping into a lake, imagine how Joshua must have felt in Joshua 1. Moses, Israel’s great leader and deliverer, had died, and Joshua was now responsible for leading God’s people into the Promised Land (Joshua 1:1–5). Joshua knew how difficult this task would be. He had witnessed Israel’s complaining, rebellion, and refusal to trust God when they first approached the Promise Land decades earlier. Their unbelief had resulted in forty years of wandering in the wilderness.

Joshua likely felt overwhelmed. Would the people follow him? Could he really accomplish such a massive task? 

Yet in the middle of Joshua’s uncertainty, God gave him a promise: “No man shall be able to stand before you… I will be with you. I will never leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5). 

Joshua’s success would not come from his own strength, experience, or leadership ability. It would come from the Lord. This was God’s mission, and God Himself would accomplish it through His power. That is why God repeatedly commanded Joshua to “be strong and courageous” (vv. 6–9). Joshua could move forward with confidence because the presence of God went before him.

The same truth applies to believers today. Jesus has given every Christian the mission of making disciples (Matthew 28:19–20). At times, sharing the gospel, discipling others, and living faithfully for Christ can feel overwhelming. We may feel inadequate or fearful, just as Joshua likely did.

But our confidence is not found in ourselves. The Great Commission is God’s mission, and He empowers His people through the Holy Spirit. 

Through the power of the Spirit, we can live with strength and courage as we obey Him. In what area of your life is God calling you to be strong and courageous? Do you need to have a Gospel conversation? Do you need to take a step of obedience?

As we read this lesson we are reminded that courage is not the absence of fear. Biblical courage is trusting God enough to obey Him, even when the task feels impossible. And if you are wondering how the summer camp story ended, I jumped first and conquered the blob! B&R