Love That Never Fails

39. The Lord Your God Fights For You

In difficult circumstances, it's good to have someone who is always going to have your back, someone who will keep their promises and see you through when things look hopeless.

Under the leadership of Joshua, the Israelites had flourished as they had taken possession of the land God had promised them. It hadn't exactly been easy but time and time again, God had given them victory over the various different people groups who had lived there:

"So the Lord gave Israel all the land he had sworn to give their ancestors, and they took possession of it and settled there. The Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their ancestors. Not one of their enemies withstood them; the Lord gave all their enemies into their hands. Not one of all the Lord's good promises to Israel failed; every one was fulfilled."
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭21:43-45‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What an amazing statement! We too can be sure that all of God's promises will be fulfilled to us!

"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God."
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God had fought for His people, faithfully keeping His promises. Now Joshua had some important advice for them as they stepped forward and it's advice we could follow too:

"After a long time had passed and the Lord had given Israel rest from all their enemies around them, Joshua, by then a very old man, summoned all Israel—their elders, leaders, judges and officials—and said to them: "I am very old. You yourselves have seen everything the Lord your God has done to all these nations for your sake; it was the Lord your God who fought for you. Remember how I have allotted as an inheritance for your tribes all the land of the nations that remain—the nations I conquered—between the Jordan and the Mediterranean Sea in the west. The Lord your God himself will push them out for your sake. He will drive them out before you, and you will take possession of their land, as the Lord your God promised you. "Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left. Do not associate with these nations that remain among you; do not invoke the names of their gods or swear by them. You must not serve them or bow down to them. But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now. "The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. So be very careful to love the Lord your God."
‭‭Joshua‬ ‭23:1-11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Being strong, careful and obedient is always very important. I love the way Joshua says to 'hold fast' to the Lord! As Christians at this particular time in history, we need to take this advice on board. God fights for us against many things that would try to derail us. Even when things settle down, we need to be careful to love the Lord our God. We never know what is around the corner but we need to remember that God is fighting for us all the way.,

Let's pray:

Heavenly Father,

I am so thankful for this reminder from history. Your Word is rich in advice for me today and I praise You for keeping Your promises and always fighting for Your people. I love You so much and have great confidence even in the midst of the world's fight against COVID-19. Have Your way and bless us all in whatever battle we face this week.

I choose to be strong, obedient, careful and loving. I will rejoice in how far You have brought me.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen.