Joshua 1:9 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. (NIV)
On the 28th of February, all I heard was Nicholas saying, 'Come on Grammie, it will be fun.' Well, Grammie didn't think riding an aerial tramway up over 6,000 feet of jagged, jagged rocks and 5 towers while the tram was going in circles would be fun. But it was - in the end, after the fact - fun.
Everyone wanted to ride the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway up Mt. San Jacinto (where there was 2 ft of snow and ice and leaving the 85 degree temps at the base) and I kept thinking, 'no way' as all the what ifs came to mind. Nicholas and Jacob were ecstatic and slightly wound up when it came time to enter the tram. Me, I wasn't so much. I have to admit I was scared.
I'm scared of a lot of things. Silly and stupid things for the most part and if I'm not careful I can let those fears keep me from experiencing things.
And here's Joshua getting orders from God to cross the River Jordan and get all the land he sets foot in - from the desert to Lebanon, from the Euphrates river, all the Hittite county to the Great Sea. I'm sure he was scared and thought about all the what ifs. But God said the same thing to him as he did to Moses - 'In the same way I was with Moses, I'll be with you, I won't give up on you; I won't leave you.' (vs 6)
God promised Joshua he wouldn't be alone as he traveled and God has promised me I won't be alone as I travel. Whether it be something as simple as riding an aerial tram up the side of a mountain or any of the ups and downs of life. He keeps telling me (as he did Joshua) to be strong and courageous, not to be afraid, not to be discouraged because he will be with me at every step.
Nancy
