These words were from Moses to Joshua as the nation of Israel was preparing to go into the promised land. They were words that would give them the faith to trust that the Lord would be with them in this new place. Part of the challenge of being on this spiritual pilgrimage is that we also may be asked to go to a new place, or be guided to step out in faith to enter a different phase in our lives, or be asked to take a risk. Passages like this one may help us to move forward. This has happened often in my life, and one such time was when I was much younger, that I was asked to do something similar.
My late wife, Judy, and I met while we were students at Youngstown State University, in Youngstown, Ohio. I grew up in Youngstown, and Judy was from a town less than 60 miles away. Neither of us had ever lived anywhere else but that part of the country. When we finished our college degrees, we had hoped to find jobs in the area, and we were willing to stay around, because both of our families were near. However, over time, nothing else came up, but then I was offered a job with a national insurance company. In order to take the job, we would have to move far away.
Thank goodness Judy was willing to take the risk to move far away from our families. I am not sure if I wasn’t married to her would I have been willing to move away by myself, or if I had been married to someone else would they be willing to make the move. Judy had an open and trusting inner spirit which was beneficial to me then, and countless times later on.
The company moved us to Denver, CO, which was great place to train for the new job, but a huge step for both of us, because we would be so far from our family and friends. (Little did I know that many years later, Shirley and I move back here to live.) Of course, the move worked out for us. Thank goodness we were willing to make the move, in hindsight it doesn’t seem like a really big deal, but at that point in our lives it was a tremendous risky step with many unknowns!
Please be open to what God through the Holy Spirit may be asking you to do next on this journey; it may involve risk, it may take you out of your comfort zone, and it may take you to places you have never been before. The important thing to remember is that the Lord will go before you, and will be with you, and will not fail nor forsake you. May you have the faith to trust in these promises of God to be with you! Peace, Vernon T.
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