Why should we fear?

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.” Joshua 8:1

After the death of Moses God chooses Joshua to lead the Israelites to enter the Promised Land, He instructed Joshua everything. Right from the very beginning God encourage Joshua to be courageous, strong, and not to fear. God told Joshua to be strong and courageous because there are challenges ahead. God assurance of His presence does not mean that the Israelites will be free from any troubles or they will easily conquer the land, but they have to struggle. If God is willing to hand over Ai to Joshua, or if it was His will, He could have done it. Why should Joshua struggle? But God’s intention is to let His people trust Him and experience the reality of life. Throughout the scripture the phrase “do not fear” or “fear not” is always followed by some affirmative statements. God never let His people down.

In John 17:15 Jesus prayed “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” Jesus too acknowledged the existence of trial and temptations in our lives. As long as we exist in this universe the problems in our lives will also persist. But we have hope that our Sovereign God always protects us and His presence always goes with us. Yes, no doubt that He has given us assurance to protect us yet in our part we should not fail to trust in Him, keep the faith and acknowledge Him in everything. God has given us authority to trample on snakes and scorpion and overcome all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). He assures us that we will crush satan underneath our feet (Romans 16:20). Why should we fear?

God told Joshua that He has delivered the king of Ai on his hands but the imperative of “go up and attack” shows that Joshua needs to fight. Joshua’s participation in conquering Ai is the basic requirement.

What is your ‘Ai’ today? Could be personal, family, society, financial, career etc. etc. The thing which you feel it as an obstacle for you is your ‘Ai’. You have to go up and attack. Going up is not easy. God did not tell Joshua to go down or march forward but to “go up”, which means he need to struggle to fulfill the promise of God. God did not promised Joshua only one thing but said the King of Ai, his people, city, and his land shall be delivered. In our live too, God providence of protection and care is there abundantly but we should not fail what we ought to do. If we trust Him God can provide us even beyond our expectations. Each day in our life we face different kinds of problems, trials and temptations but as the people of God why should we fear. If God is for us who can be against us? (Rom.8:31).

Let us face the challenges that come in our way today. Let us ask God to gives us strength to bear the burdens, accept the situations, wisdom to know the difference, and hope of His reassurance. Do not fear.