Readings for today: Joshua 1-2, Psalms 105
It’s springtime in the Rockies. And that means wild temperature swings. One day it’s sixty or seventy degrees and the next it’s snowing. One evening I’m sitting on my back porch and the next I’m bundled up in my house next to a fire. It’s like nature itself can’t figure out which way to go or what time it is or what it wants to do. We’ve sprung forward at this point and that means more sunlight in evening. The days are getting longer as winter begins to recede. But we still aren’t quite there yet.
Winter is not all bad, of course. Despite appearances, winter is not a “dead time.” It is simply a time where life goes dormant for a while. Trees that may look dead on the outside are churning on the inside as life gets ready to burst forth again. I think the same is true for us. We all have periods of dormancy spiritually. Dry seasons where we struggle to taste the Living Water and eat the Bread of Life. Sometimes we feel like we’re wandering in the wilderness and the journey can feel lonely and hard. But I have always found that if I walk by faith, these “winter” seasons pass and eventually give way to a new and beautiful spring.
What does it mean to walk by faith? Even when things seem so dormant and God distant? How do we best make use of the time we are given to prepare ourselves for the springtime God has planned for us? I love what Joshua 1:8 says, “This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to meditate on it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do.” (Joshua 1:8 CSB) The reality is that our “winter” seasons can be a kind of Sabbath for us. A time for us to slow down and wait on God. The Bible is clear. God is waiting for us to turn to Him. To meditate on His Word. To talk to Him in prayer. To share all the fears and anxieties of whatever season we may be experiencing with Him. Nothing about our situation or circumstance has caught God by surprise. Nothing is beyond His control. Nothing that happens in our world today escapes His notice. And His promise is that He is at work even now, through the creatures who bear His image, to bring about His will in His way and in His time.
How can I be so confident? Read Psalms 105. Look at what God has done! Remember His mighty acts! Remember His saving ways! God is deliverer. God is rescuer. God is savior. God will never leave or forsake His people. God will never distance Himself from our pain. God has a “Promised Land” ready for all those who call on His name. This is the truth of the gospel, friends! And it forms the foundation of our hope in fearful and chaotic times.
You know, I imagine Joshua felt much the same way we do today. As he stared across the Jordan River into the Promised Land, he knew there were no guarantees. He knew the future would be hard. He knew the people of Israel simply didn’t have the strength or the fortitude to make it on their own. Their only hope was God. Their only path to victory was with God. Their only way forward was to trust God. So he pointed them to their history. Drew on the experiences of their forefathers and mothers. Encouraged them with the testimonies of God’s goodness from their past. And this gave them the courage to face the challenges of their day. As you consider the current challenges you face in your life or we face in our world, what brings you hope? What testimonies do you lean on during these difficult times? How are you turning to God’s Word to find courage and strength as we wait for spring?
Readings for tomorrow: No devotionals on Sundays