The Lord said to Joshua, “This day I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so that they may know that I will be with you as I was with Moses. You are the one who shall command the priests who bear the ark of the covenant, ‘When you come to the edge of the waters of the Jordan, you shall stand still in the Jordan.’ ~ Joshua 3:7-8
Following Moses as a leader had to be intimidating.
But following any leader can be intimidating.
Joshua stands on the banks of the Jordan ready to bring the people to where they need to go. He did this after all the preparation and hardships Moses went through to get him to this moment.
But just as with Moses, he doesn't stand alone. He has been called and he has been prepared.
Sometimes it's easy to feel we aren't ready for something - whether it is leadership or some other task that we've seen someone else before us do so well.
We might even question whether we really have been called.
For Joshua, God's presence is tangible. For the Hebrew people wandering through the wilderness, the ark of the covenant made God real.
We might not have such a tangible sense of God's presence, but we can trust that God is there preparing us and walking beside us along the way.
What are some tangible ways you have felt God's presence?
Have you ever been asked to follow a leader who was well loved? What was that like?
Have you ever been given a task you didn't feel ready for? What was the outcome?
Holy One, remind of your presence daily so that I might move with confidence to the places you call me. Amen