Joshua's New Year

Joshua’s New Year 

With a new year dawning on the horizon there is a need to reestablish and reaffirm our lives to a new course with anticipation for the future. This desire is tempered by the reality that tomorrow is never promised and life is but a vapor (James 4:14). However a certain expectation remains of the possibilities of what lay ahead. The apostle Paul affirmed the practice of “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3:13) with the goal of the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:14) we press forward.

Following the death of Moses, the son of Nun (Moses’ assistant) was chosen to lead the people into the promised land. The Lord comes to Joshua to reestablish and reaffirm His promises made with Moses and to give Joshua a plan for the conquest of a new land. The first thing Joshua needed to know was that the days past with Moses were completed and this was the dawn of a new day. “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise” (Joshua 1:2). We can never conquer today to secure the hope of tomorrow until we have left the work of yesterday. Joshua needed to gather himself and the people and begin the new work ahead of them. With the passing year we should reflect upon lessons learned but leave the mistakes, failures and successes to the pages of yesterday. As the new year unfolds we should “arise” and go forth with a new determined spirit.

The Lord promised Joshua the land was his for the taking. “To the land which I am giving to them” (Joshua 1:2) shows the promise of what can happen when we take God into our lives and live by His will. No battles had been fought nor land traversed but with the Lord’s help the security of success was already granted. This new year brings many challenges to overcome and battles to fight. There is no fear in the outcome because we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me" (Hebrews 13:6)? Furthermore, the Lord assures Joshua that “No man shall be able to stand before you” (Joshua 1:5). If we seek to do the Lord’s will in the coming year it will be accomplished because if it is of God then nothing can overthrow it (Acts 5:39).

Three times the Lord tells Joshua to “be strong and of good courage” (Joshua 1:6-9). It takes strength of character to face the unknown and the heart needs to be fortified with good courage. “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18). Our love for the Father will give us the strength to endure the unimaginable, withstand the wiles of the devil and make the new year a “time of refreshing” (Acts 3:19). The source of strength Joshua needed did not come from himself but from the law of the Lord. Obedience to the will of God was paramount for success and the only way we can find blessings in a new year is through the power of God’s word. It needs to be our meditation day and night (Joshua 1:8).

The final exhortation by the Lord is for Joshua to know there was no reason to be afraid “for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). The Lord is our Lord when we obey Him. The Lord is our Guide when we follow Him. The Lord is our Light when we let His word shine in us. The Lord is our Promise when we believe in His word. May the blessing of a New Year be our resolution in the daily word of God.