“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 ESV
What are the things that you dread? What things do you worry about to the point of feeling paralyzed? Or perhaps when you think on this terrifying thing you’d rather turn around and high tail it out of there.
The truth is that the things we dread become giants in our minds.
We magnify them in their strength, their importance, and their power. When we look at the things we fear most, we cannot help but be in awful terror of what they might do to us.
This is exactly how the Israelites felt in the moment Moses delivered these words. They had returned to the Promised Land, weary and beaten down by the wilderness, but also fearful and anxious about what lay before them in the Promised Land. For forty years their minds had been meditating on the goodness of the promise on one hand, but on the other hand they could catalog in great detail all that stood in their way. The giant men who inhabited the Promised Land loomed large in their minds and grew ever larger as the years passed.
That happens doesn’t it? The more we think on something the deeper our dread burrows down. When we focus our minds on what evil lies ahead, we magnify its power and place in our lives.
It is in the midst of this deep dread, Moses shares with the people that not only will they be facing their giant foes, but they will be doing it without him.
“And he said to them, “I am 120 years old today. I am no longer able to go out and come in. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not go over this Jordan.’ The Lord your God himself will go over before you. He will destroy these nations before you, so that you shall dispossess them, and Joshua will go over at your head, as the Lord has spoken.” Deuteronomy 31:2-3
Moses, their most trusted leader, would leave them to face their greatest fears without him. The people would have to place their trust in God alone.
Moses tries to reassure the people that this is as good as it gets. “God himself will go over before you.” The God of the universe, the Creator of all things, the one who has brought you freedom and called you to Himself, will fight before you, alongside you, and after you. The people wanted the help of the mere human Moses, failing to remember that instead they are being given the help of the Almighty God.
This is the good news our hearts struggle to hear. In the midst of our greatest fears we have the ultimate Champion on our side. The most powerful Warrior who wields the might and strength of the roaring oceans and the vastness and power of the star filled skies walks with us into battle. Not only will He go with us, but He won’t leave when the battle gets fierce. He will not run when the worst foes advance.
God Himself goes with us. So then what do we have to dread?
When we picture our greatest enemies, our deepest fears, our most overwhelming battles we must picture the Mighty Warrior God at our side. No matter how gigantic our enemies loom, God looms greater still. No matter how powerful their battle tactics are, the God of all wisdom stands ready to outsmart every maneuver.
We have magnified our foe by fixing our minds on all of the power they wield, but how different would the battle look if we magnified our God? How would our fear fade if we remembered the majesty and might of the God who walks into battle with us?
So when dread hits us, when our minds begin their relentless lists of how terrifying and powerful our enemies are, may we pause and begin to list the qualities of the God who goes before us. May we recount His acts of strength and faithfulness in our story over and over again until we are reminded of how powerful and loving He is. May our songs of praise for the Mighty One diminish the power and presence of our foes in our minds.
For the Creator of all things, the Vanquisher of sin and death, the Author of every life goes with us into battle. Let us then be strong and courageous.
~Katie Sue Garcia
REFLECTION:
Read the account of David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17. In what ways did the Israelites magnify Goliath? What things caused them to dread him? How does David find the courage to face Goliath? How do we see him magnify the Lord as he prepares for battle?
Choose one thing you are dreading or fearing. List all of the things that dredge up dread and fear within you. Then next to those things write words about God’s character. What truths about who God is directly combat the things you are fearing? Each time fear creeps in, remind yourself of how God is able to handle all that you are fearful of.
PRAYER:
Mighty Emmanuel,
You are strong. You are powerful.
You are vast beyond all measure.
Yet You choose to dwell with Your people.
Never leaving or forsaking them.
Fix our eyes on You, O Lord.
Magnify Your power and glory in our hearts,
So that our foes might be diminished.
Holy Spirit, remind us of the victory
That is already ours.
For in You, oh Lord, we are more than conquerors.
Praise be to the One who already holds the victory.
Amen.
MEET THE WRITER: KATIE SUE GARCIA
Hi, I’m Katie Garcia. I’m a wife of 20 years and a mother of three. I have a gifted and spirited daughter, a brilliant son on the Autism spectrum, and a three year old who also keeps me on my toes. Before becoming a stay at home mom, I was a High School English teacher, and I sure do miss working with teenagers! I still love to read and write and to teach kiddos to love to read and write. I am a teacher at heart. My family started in Tucson, but we currently make our home in Chandler, AZ. I’m afraid I can’t recommend the heat, but I do dearly love our church community. I have been a writer my whole life but started a blog the year I became a teacher. I love to write about scripture and the ways the Lord speaks to me through His word. After losing a child 12 years ago, I found the heart of my writing in the beauty of lament, and the Hope of God meeting me in my sorrow through His promises. I am continuously grateful for the words God has given us, and the ones He gives me specifically to grieve, to praise, and to adore Him.