Be Strong and Courageous—But What If You’re Still Afraid?

What Joshua 1 teaches about courage, fear, and the presence of God.

By Pastor John Erickson | Joshua 1:1-9

People tell you, "You've got this!" And you're thinking, I really don't know that I do.

Maybe it's a responsibility you didn't ask for, a conversation you've been avoiding, or a step of obedience that feels bigger than you are. Being told to be courageous sounds encouraging until you have to figure out where the courage is supposed to come from.

In Joshua 1, God grounds His command to be strong and courageous in His presence. Joshua's confidence would have to rest on the God who went with him. That gives us somewhere to begin when we're still afraid.

Joshua had tried this before

Moses was dead. After years as his assistant, Joshua was being commissioned to lead Israel into the land God had promised them.

That's quite a job promotion.

And Joshua knew how badly things could go. A generation earlier, he and Caleb had urged Israel to trust God and enter the land. The people saw fortified cities and powerful enemies. Joshua and Caleb saw those obstacles, too, but believed God could lead them forward.

Their audience discussed stoning them. You can read it in Numbers 14:6-10.

I've preached some iffy messages in my day, but nobody has wanted to stone me when I walked off the platform.

Now Joshua was being asked to lead again. In Joshua 1:5, God promised to be with him as He had been with Moses. Before Joshua faced the next battle, he needed to hear that he would not be abandoned.

What does "be strong and courageous" mean?

God repeats the command in Joshua 1:6, 7, and 9. Apparently once wasn't enough.

The surrounding instructions help us understand it. Joshua is to lead the people, remain faithful to God's law, and remember that God will be with him wherever he goes. Courage belongs inside that relationship.

This is not a promise that every frightening idea we have carries God's endorsement. The land promise was given to Israel in a particular setting. We don't get to turn it into a guarantee of whatever job, house, or opportunity we want.

But we can learn from the way God calls Joshua to depend on Him. Faithfulness doesn't require knowing every outcome in advance.

And fear doesn't automatically mean you've failed. Paul describes coming to the Corinthians in weakness and trembling while relying on the Spirit's power (1 Corinthians 2:3-5). That doesn't fit the picture of a person who always feels confident. It fits someone learning where his strength comes from.

Courage has something to do with what you keep returning to

Joshua 1:7-8 places God's Word at the center of his calling. He is to speak it, meditate on it, and put it into practice.

We tend to remember the inspiring command and skim past the patient work of listening and obeying.

Think about exercise. A few heroic hours at the gym followed by two months of avoiding it won't do what consistent practice does. Unfortunately. I'd appreciate a different arrangement.

Our relationship with Scripture takes time, too. We return, pay attention, ask what the passage actually means, and let it challenge the way we live. We get to know the God whose presence we're being asked to trust.

That is deeper than finding a verse to make us feel brave for ten minutes.

Take the next faithful step

Some of us wait to obey until we feel completely ready. But feeling ready may never arrive on schedule.

Start with what is clear. Is there an honest conversation you need to have? A responsibility you need to accept? A wrong you need to put right? Bring it to God. Listen to Scripture and wise counsel. Then take the next faithful step.

You can also remember the ways God has already carried you through difficulty. Remembering won't answer every question, but it can help you face the next one.

Jesus promised His disciples His presence as they carried out His commission (Matthew 28:18-20). We follow a Lord who calls us to walk with Him, including when our knees are still shaking.

You don't have to pretend the task is easy. Begin with the One who goes with you.