Altogether

Do not be terrified…Deuteronomy 1:29

He will fight for you…Deuteronomy 1:30

The many battles of life rage; within and without. At times we feel like God has forsaken us. And the feeling is terrifying. Of course, God has not left us. We know that in our head. But our heart says otherwise. We know not to trust our feelings, but…

Moses was not going into Canaan. God had appointed Joshua to take His people into the land of promise. To go in and retake the land overrun while they were in Egypt those many years. A land overrun by people who did not respect God. In fact, they worshipped strange gods—gods of their own making. A natural result of rejecting the one true God. True then — true now.

We learn from Chapter 1 they had already lost one battle. The Amorites had chased them as bees do, and drove them back, verse 44. The defeat made them weep before the Lord. They had attempted to defeat their enemy without God, by their own strength. The loss was as if God had forsaken them. In fact, they entered the battle without prayer. They simply strapped on their swords and went into battle, verse 41.

Having learned their lesson, they sought the Lord. They returned to take the land back from those who unlawfully occupied it. Joshua records the victory, Joshua 10:42: And all these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because the LORD God of Israel fought for Israel. Perhaps it is time to ask God to fight for us. And watch the Lord subdue all our enemies at one time; all together.