Called & Commissioned
Reflection on Joshua 1:1-9
Have you ever stepped into a role you didn’t ask for? A challenge that felt bigger than your capacity? That’s exactly where we find Joshua in this passage.
Moses is gone. The wilderness journey has ended. The people are standing at the edge of the Jordan River, staring across at the land of promise—and God tells Joshua: “Now you lead them in.”
Joshua wasn’t Moses. He wasn’t the miracle-worker, the mountain-climber, the one who spoke to God face-to-face. He was the assistant, the helper, the quiet one in the background. But now the responsibility has landed on his shoulders.
What does God say?
“Be strong and courageous… as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.”
Not: Be strong because you’re ready.
Not: Be courageous because you’ve got this.
But: Because I am with you.
That’s the key. God’s presence is the difference-maker.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament. The resurrected Jesus stands on a mountain in Galilee and tells His disciples: “Go and make disciples… and surely I am with you always.”
The same God who called Joshua across the Jordan calls us into neighborhoods, workplaces, classrooms, and conversations. Not with a detailed map, but with a mission and a promise.
This Is Our Moment
Joshua’s moment was daunting—but it was also divine. It’s the same with us.
You don’t have to be the most charismatic, experienced, or eloquent person in the room. You just have to be faithful with what you’ve been given. You don’t have to fill someone else’s shoes—you just have to take the next step in your own.
The mission is not to impress. It’s to witness.
A witness simply tells the truth about what they’ve seen and heard.
Think of the mail carrier who faithfully walks the same path for 40 years. “I don’t write the letters,” he says. “I just deliver the message.”
That’s us. We don’t have to create the gospel. We just have to carry it to someone who’s waiting to hear it.
You don’t have to be fearless to be faithful.
You don’t have to have it all figured out to take the first step.
God doesn’t promise ease—but He promises presence.
“I will be with you wherever you go.”
And that’s enough.
So… what step will you take this week? Who might be waiting for you to deliver the message?
Lace up your sandals. Shoulder the satchel. Step forward. God is with you.
Reflection
Where do you feel like Joshua right now?
Are you standing at the edge of something new, uncertain, or overwhelming? What would it look like to trust God’s presence there?
Is there one person you sense God calling you to invest in spiritually?
Someone who needs encouragement, prayer, or an invitation? Ask God to help you name your “one.”
What keeps you from witnessing?
Is it fear, insecurity, distraction? Ask God to give you courage—not the absence of fear, but strength to move forward with Him.
How can you make space for God’s Word this week?
Joshua was told to “meditate on it day and night.” Maybe for you it’s reading one verse each morning, or listening to Scripture on a walk.