“From Terrified and Discouraged to Strong and Courageous”
Joshua 1:1-9, Psalm 27
Cynthia O'Brien
March 12, 2006
Psalm 27
Of David.
PS 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life--
of whom shall I be afraid?
PS 27:2 When evil men advance against me
to devour my flesh,
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
PS 27:3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
PS 27:4 One thing I ask of the LORD,
this is what I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.
PS 27:5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
PS 27:6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
Psalm 27:7-14
PS 27:7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
PS 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
PS 27:9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
you have been my helper.
Do not reject me or forsake me,
O God my Savior.
PS 27:10 Though my father and mother forsake me,
the LORD will receive me.
PS 27:11 Teach me your way, O LORD;
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
PS 27:12 Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
PS 27:13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
PS 27:14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
Joshua 1:1-9
JOS 1:1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses' aide: 2 "Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them--to the Israelites. 3 I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. 4 Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates--all the Hittite country--to the Great Sea on the west. 5 No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
JOS 1:6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 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. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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. 9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
Memory Scripture
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
Being Terrified
When I was a kid, for years I slept on my back because I was afraid of the dark. Not afraid of the dark, but afraid of the scary monsters or people who might attack me – I had to be ready to see them and fight them, so I always slept on my back – It felt better, as if it would ensure that I wouldn’t be caught by surprise.
Of course, I knew that nothing could harm me, and that my mom would protect me, but it was still a real fear. I couldn’t help but feel it. Any of you kids who are afraid of the dark: Try to remember that your family is there with you and there’s nothing to be afraid of, and that fear will go away.
Now, as an adult, I am more creative about how I would deal with these fears. Like maybe I would put some fresh meat in my little brother’s room so that the monsters would eat him first!
Children are also afraid of the unknown, a new school, the new teacher, a big crowd of people, or that you might get to school on crazy sock day with your crazy socks on and find out that today’s NOT crazy sock day. Teenagers may be afraid of failing a class, or losing a friend, or coming home late at night after your job at Wendy’s.
There are plenty of reasons for adults to be terrified. Terrorism is a start. But there are other fears more close to home. When we had our parenting class on Sunday mornings – and we’re thinking of starting a new one in the fall – one of the moms said that she had a desperate fear that one of her children would come to some harm. Sometimes it was almost a paralyzing fear. She knew it wasn’t helpful, and that worrying wouldn’t necessarily be productive, but it was there.
Being discouraged
Kids: What’s something you’ve tried and tried to learn to do but you just can’t get it yet? You have tried and tried to snap your fingers, or tie your shoes, or whistle, or do a cartwheel, and so far it seems like everybody else but you can do it.
Teens: You’ve always wanted to be a gymnast, but you realize your body type will never cooperate. Your best friend has moved away and communicating online is just not the same.
Adults: At work the deadlines are coming too fast and you can’t stay on top of them. Or you’ve tried and tried to reach your teenager but she tunes you out. Or your spouse left you and now you believe that no one will ever love you again.
Psalm 27 is a desperate plea from someone who is terrified and discouraged.
PS 27:7 Hear my voice when I call, O LORD;
be merciful to me and answer me.
PS 27:9 Do not hide your face from me,
do not turn your servant away in anger;
Do not reject me or forsake me,
lead me in a straight path
because of my oppressors.
Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,
for false witnesses rise up against me,
breathing out violence.
He is pleading for God to hear him, not to turn away from him, not to reject him, not to let his enemies beat him.
Joshua was set up to be terrified and discouraged, after Moses died and he was called to lead the people into the Promised Land. Joshua had already been chosen to rule the people. He was a gifted leader. But even the best, most well equipped leader may waiver when it is time for action. So God inspired Joshua with special confidence. “Be strong and courageous… I will not forsake you.”
These are words used throughout the Bible. They are used to challenge and encourage soldiers just before engaging in battle. This is how Moses and God exhorted Joshua before leading Israel into battle. David used these words when strengthening Solomon to assume the leadership of the kingdom (1 Chronicles 22:13, 28:20). King Hezekiah exhorted his military officers when Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem (2 Chron 32:7) These are words of preparation for action.
“I will not fail you.” Paul in Hebrews 13:5, used these words to calm down anxieties and fears.
“Be strong and take heart.” God says it three times for emphasis… which is not unheard of in the Bible.
At least three times angels said to people “Fear not” when announcing the birth of Jesus. There was a reason for people to be afraid, so the angels reassured them.
Three times Jesus said to Peter, “Peter do you love me?” Peter needed to pledge his love to Jesus after betraying him three times the night of Jesus’ arrest. Three times Peter had to say, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Three times God said to Joshua, “be strong and courageous.” To Joshua, who was a strong and courageous leader. Joshua, who had all the talent, skill and gifts to do what needed to be done. If Joshua needed to hear this, how much more do we need to hear it? God said, I will never leave you nor forsake you.
David also received encouragement from God. Psalm 27 is full of suffering and desperation, but the beginning and the end of it are a rock of confidence.
PS 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation--
whom shall I fear?
The LORD is the stronghold of my life--
of whom shall I be afraid?
God is our “light.” Where light is, darkness cannot exist. A flashlight pierces the dark and helps us find our way. There’s no such thing as a “flashdark” which covers the light. Our fears and anxieties thrive in the dark, but they can’t survive in the light. Like a flashlight, light shows up our fears for what they really are. God illumines our way and reveals our fears for what they are.
God is also “the stronghold of my life.” God is the secure place when all else fails.
Too often human relationships fail, because they are human. When we place our hope in fallible human beings, we’re bound to be failed at some point. When our human resources are unreliable, God is the one reliable support… “though my father and mother forsake me” (Psalm 27:10)
David is confident:
when my enemies and my foes attack me,
they will stumble and fall.
PS 27:3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then will I be confident.
PS 27:5 For in the day of trouble
he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle
and set me high upon a rock.
PS 27:6 Then my head will be exalted
above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy;
I will sing and make music to the LORD.
PS 27:13 I am still confident of this:
I will see the goodness of the LORD
in the land of the living.
“I am still confident.” He is convinced that he will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
Here’s a tip for deacons and anyone who prays with someone who is about to have surgery. Read this scripture to the person who is about to undergo surgery – I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. “The land of the living” clearly means in this present life. This is not the same confidence that Job had – “Though he slay me, yet I will trust in him.” This is confidence in seeing God’s goodness in this life.
So how do we navigate from terror and discouragement to strength and courage?
God gave some direction to Joshua:
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. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; 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.
Reading this Scripture reminds me of the Michael W. Smith song in the 80's "Be Strong and Courageous." A Christian rock-anthem along the lines of the Theme from "Rocky." That would really pump you up.
But there are other kinds of encouragement. In 1964, Life Magazine ran an ad for Hunt's Ketchup which featured a little green tomato on the vine, and the caption said, "Hang on, little tomato." 40 years later, the band Pink Martini made a song of it. Pink Martini is a Portland group that is part 1930's Cuban dance orchestra, part classical music ensemble, and part Brazilian street band. They wrote this little song called "Hang On, Little Tomato" that goes like this:
"You've got to hold on, hold on to the vine
Stay on, soon you'll be divine.
If you start to cry, look up to the sky..."
When things are hard, hang on, and look up.
David knew what he needed to do:
PS 27:8 My heart says of you, "Seek his face!"
Your face, LORD, I will seek.
These are the times when we pay attention to see where God will lead us.
I ran into my friend John this week and asked him how his new job was going – It’s not really a new job, he’s had it about a year and a half. He said, “Well, as a matter of fact, last Monday I quit.” “Oh, tell me about that,” I said. Well he liked the work – it’s in sales and he’s good at sales – but he couldn’t stand his boss, because the boss had the mindset that you simply get as much money from the customer as you can, forget what their needs are, just make them pay as much as possible. The customer wasn’t someone to serve, or even an asset to the company, but just a commodity to use up and throw away. John realized that he couldn’t work in that environment and nothing was going to get better. He called the owner and said, “I can’t work here.”
John doesn’t have any other job to go to, and his wife doesn’t make enough to support them, and he has a kid going to college next year. But he has some leads on jobs and some things he can do to make ends meet, so it’s not totally irresponsible. It was the right thing to do, a courageous thing to do. It was time to get out from under that oppression, to stand up for what is right. Now he has to trust that God will be with him, that as he seeks God, God will not let him go.
And so David wrote,
PS 27:14 Wait for the LORD;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the LORD.
God promises, Be strong, I will never leave you.
The hymn “Wondrous Love,” has a verse that completes God’s promise”
When I was sinking down, sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside his crown for my soul.
It is because of the love of God through Jesus Christ that we know God truly will never leave us. It is because of Christ, giving his life for us, that we have the strength and courage to face whatever comes.
“Do not be terrified and discouraged, but be strong and courageous.”
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