Faithful in Times of Change
Change and transition are par for the course, aren't they? Whether you're in school, starting a new job, taking care of kids, or adjusting to health issues, change is a constant. Nothing stays the same forever, right? In Ecclesiastes 3, it says, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to mourn and a time to dance." We see that everything has its time. In Joshua 1 we see that it’s time for the Israelites to cross the Jordan and take possession of the Promised Land. This has been a long time coming. After being freed from slavery in Egypt, the people of Israel were forced to wander in the wilderness for 40 years. At various times, they stopped trusting God, and turned to their old ways of sin and idolatry. Now Moses has died and Joshua is called to lead the Israelites into their new home. This is a huge point of change for God's people. To do this, they must trust in Him.
Maybe you’re at a point of change or transition like Joshua. Perhaps you’ve lost a Moses in your life or circumstances have changed. Like Joshua, maybe you're being asked to do something that seems impossible. How do you respond? Throughout the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, it becomes apparent that they have poor memories. They’re not good at remembering God's faithfulness to them in the past. God says He wants to free the Jews from Egypt. How could He possibly do that? He sends ten plagues on Pharoah and the Egyptians. As they're fleeing, they come to the Red Sea, but it looks like a dead end! How can God save them? He parts the Red Sea. In the wilderness, the people are without food. What does God do? He gives them manna from the sky. How can they continue to doubt God after seeing Him come through again and again?
How is your memory? Do you easily forget things? As God’s people, remembering the past is critical to being faithful in the present. That’s because the past is a key part of our ongoing relationship with the Lord. In Exodus 6:7-8, God said, “I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore…to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.” God says remember. So how will God take care of you when your life changes? I’ll tell you: the same way He did the last time you faced change, and the time before that, and the time before that! God keeps His promises to His people! That doesn’t mean we won’t experience trials and tribulations, and that there won’t be times of uprooting, mourning, and weeping as it says in Ecclesiastes. But we are not to forget God’s faithfulness to us.
Moses had been their leader for the past 40 years but now he’s gone. God knows Joshua is scared. To reassure him, God reminds Joshua that Moses was able to do what he did because God was with him. Likewise, He says to Joshua, “I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Then He says, Be strong and courageous and be careful to obey God’s Word. God knows that in times of change, we get scared because we don't know what's going to happen. So He reassures us of His presence. Finally, He says hold God’s Word high in your life. Make it a priority to read and understand it. When life becomes unpredictable, we need an anchor. The Word of God is an anchor that keeps us tethered to Him. When we read it, we’re putting down an anchor to keep us from drifting. As we look to the future, we can expect times of change and transition. But whatever we're facing, let us remember God’s faithfulness, trust in His presence, and anchor ourselves in His Word.
Pastor Darren
