Be Strong and Courageous by Laura V. Hilton

“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.  Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.  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 1:7-9

“I’m afraid of this year!” I cried to my husband when he asked me how I’m doing. “My “baby boy” is leaving for the Coast Guard, my oldest son has been making bad decisions and I’m afraid of where this year will find him, my oldest daughter will be leaving to start her higher education, and my middle daughter is finishing up middle school and starting high school. And…”

“Read Joshua 1,” he says.

“What?”

“Read Joshua 1.”

“But I’m afraid that—”

“Joshua 1.”

“Is that your answer to everything?” There’s probably more than a hint of annoyance in my voice.

“Yes. Joshua 1.”

I have the phone on speaker, so I can do something else while I’m talking to him and my oldest son is being a dear and scrubbing the kitchen floor without my asking.

Then I bump my full cup of iced coffee. It goes everywhere! What a mess. “Ugh, my coffee! It’s everywhere! I’m afraid of this year. It’s getting bad already!”

I yank my chair out of the giant coffee puddle, my son grabs towels, and my husband says, “If that’s the worst thing that happens to you this year, we’re in good shape.”

I said, “But what if it’s not! They say that how the New Year begins is how it goes.”

“Joshua 1.”

“Arrrggggh.”

My son looks up from mopping my spill. “What’s Joshua 1?”

“A chapter in the Bible. He wants me to read it.”

My husband says, “I’ll let you go so I can get back to work, and you can read. Joshua 1.”

“Yes, dear.” So I load the washing machine and start it while my son finishes mopping the sticky mess left from the coffee spill. Then I sit to type. I have this blog post due, you see, and I don’t know what to say. What to write.

Joshua 1.

This time it’s that still small voice in my head.

Oh. I guess I need to read that first.

So, I do. And then there are those verses. These:

“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.

Be strong and courageous.

Don’t be afraid.

Don’t be discouraged.

The Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.

Whatever challenges this year brings.

Whatever blessings this year brings.

Whatever changes this year brings.

Wherever I go.

Are you facing challenges this year? Let’s claim Joshua 1 together.

Lord, help me to be strong and courageous. Help me not to be afraid or discouraged. Please help me to remember that you will be with me wherever I go.  Amen.

 ***Originally published in January 2016***

Laura V. Hilton is an award-winning, sought-after author with thirty Amish, contemporary, and historical romances. When she’s not writing, she reviews books for her blogs. Her most recent series is set in Mackinac County, Michigan, and includes Firestorm, The Amish Candymaker, and Married to a Stranger (July 2019).

Laura and her pastor-husband have five children and a hyper dog named Skye. They currently live in Arkansas. One son is in the U.S. Coast Guard. She is a pastor’s wife, and homeschools her two youngest children.

When she’s not writing, Laura enjoys reading, and visiting lighthouses and waterfalls. Her favorite season is winter, her favorite holiday is Christmas.