Be Strong for the Lord Is with You

 January 11, 2024

Thursday

Deuteronomy 31:6 (NASB 2020) 6 Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or in dread of them, for the Lord your God is the One who is going with you. He will not desert you or abandon you.”

Moses is giving advice to Joshua who will resume command of Israel when Moses is gone. He tells Joshua that he can be strong and courageous without any fear of his enemies because the Lord is with him and will stay with him. In other words, the favor of the Lord who is present is all that you need.

We may not face the same enemies or the same difficulties as Joshua but we will certainly face them all the same. Some of these may appear to be more than we can handle. They will certainly cause the end of something we love or seek. But those of us who have trusted in our Savior know that we have His favor and He will never leave us. He will not abandon us in our moments of defeat.

Some of you may have lost a spouse to death. You can say, “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.”

Some of you may have gone through a divorce and struggle to raise your kids without that present support. You can say, “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.”

Some of you may have lost your job. You can’t see a way to make the mortgage payment and car payment. You can say, “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.”

Some of you may have everything going wrong. Your friends have abandoned and betrayed you. Your boss is cruel. There is no advancement possible in your job. Your house is in need of repairs that you can’t afford. Your car has broken down and needs new tires. You can say, “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.”

What does that do for you? This gives you a reason to pray. As you pray you remember, “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.” This should give you an assured hope.

You may have defeats but you will not be defeated. So say it out loud: “I have the Lord’s favor; He is present and will not leave me.”