Moving Through FearSmakprov

Obedience in the Face of Fear

God invites Joshua to obedience in the midst of his fears. He invites Joshua to stay in the good and true place of his counsel. Obedience is not merely dutiful subservience to an arbitrary rule. It is loving allegiance to the true way of a good King. We obey so that we might stay in the place and on the path that is vital, fruitful, and beneficial. In his invitation to obedience, God isn’t just saying, “Keep the rules.” He is saying, “Live your life in and with me. Don’t wander from me. Don’t turn from me. Stay close. Let’s walk together. Let’s work together.” 

And so we meditate on the Scriptures to settle within ourselves a vision of this loving God and his ways. We come to assume God’s kingdom as the “real world” in the midst of our human realities. 

The command to be strong and courageous is one that Joshua would call to mind often. When he was chosen as a successor to Moses in preparation for their entry into the Promised Land, God spokes these words to him, “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NIV).

While I have never actually gone to war with weapons and soldiers against a foreign army, I am in a real battle with enemies like fear, self-doubt, insecurity, or anxiety. Here, God seems to say to me, “Alan, do not be afraid of your enemies. When you go up against them, they will fall into your hands. Nothing will stand against you.” Forces like my own fear, anxiety, self-doubt, or insecurity would hinder me from entering in to all the good the Lord has for me. I’m sorry to say that this is a familiar struggle. I encounter fear like this just about every time I engage a new piece of my work in ministry. If I let it, fear would hinder me from taking even the first step. But my fears and anxieties have proven to be miserably poor predictors of the future. 

I wonder what might have been going through Joshua’s mind when he heard God speak these words of strength and courage. Might he have thought, as I do, “But I feel weak and fearful.” But isn’t this just what the Lord would have been speaking to? If there is no fear, why speak courage? If there is no anxiety, why speak peace? If there is no weakness, why speak strength? Weakness, insecurity, anxiety, or fear are never the ultimate reality. God’s strength, confidence, peace, and love are. Transformation is the process of coming to live in these kingdom realities. 

Lord, you know what lies before me that provokes fears within me. I’m tempted to hold back, or to be frozen in place in the face of my fear. But you remind me I go nowhere alone. You are with me. You’ll protect me and guide me. I walk forward in that confidence today.