Are you good with transitions? If you are, good for you. If you're not, join the club. Transitions seem to be one of the few consistent themes for every person in every stage of life. If you look at the list of top 10 stressors you will see how many of them revolve around change.
That is why the way the book of Joshua opens in chapter 1 resonates with me. The opening verse begins with a significant change for Israel - the covenant people of God. Their leader and shepherd, Moses, died. And then we see God respond to this painful loss in how he addresses Joshua in verse 2.
"Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready..." Funny how God shows as much gentleness as my 3-year-old daughter does when she points to my stomach saying "daddy, your tummy is getting big."
This dialogue is odd. He doesn't waste time wallowing in the grief over the death of Moses with Joshua. And he definitely doesn't worry about coddling Joshua in anyway. The Lord just jumps right in with out delay. Here God moves Joshua forward - past the trauma of his mentor's death, past the enormity of his new position, past everything that might give him reason to pause - with just a transitional phrase, "now then."
Don't let this be misconstrued in your mind. It's not as if God hadn't spoken clearly to Joshua or that He left him with this unexpected burden. Actually, if you look at the end of the book of Deuteronomy you can see how long the Lord had been preparing Joshua for this moment. The Lord had Moses prepare Joshua. In Deuteronomy 31 we see some of what Moses imparted to him for the road ahead...
7 Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, "Be strong and courageous... 8 The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forske you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. But he didn't leave Joshua with just words he even passed along a gift 3 chapters later. 34:9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses. So, this odd opening dialogue in Joshua 1 has a very specific context. God gives him his marching orders so quickly, because He has been prepping Joshua for so long.
Yet, after giving him these abrupt orders, God speaks a more personal word to Joshua that seems betray a hitch of some sort in Joshua's giddy-up. Even though Joshua gives no hint of fear, the Lord spoke to this ol' boy in a way that would help him man up to don this new mantle of responsibility!
Look how the LORD ends this opening dialogue... 5 "No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. 6 "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. 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."
I am not sure if God was speaking to the current state of Joshua's heart - meaning that HE saw the trepidation no one else did. Or if it was a case that HE was speaking to a future state of Joshua's heart - meaning that HE knew there would be moments of terror, loneliness, discouragement, and weakness on the road ahead. I am of the school of thought that it was not solely one over the other, but more so a mix of both. When you look at it, either way God promises Joshua the very thing he needs to move forward through this state of heart. God promises HIMSELF to Joshua!
Now then, it seems as though the context for God's "now then" moment with Joshua holds a depth that may not have been witnessed before.
You see the older I get the more I see the prodigal heart of God when I dwell in these type of accounts. These moments where God calls and moves a person through a transition always seem to follow some kind of road of preparation. And that road of preparation deepens our understanding of just how intimately acquainted He is with every part of our humanity. HE is not scared off by our fears or put off by our insufficiency. Rather He seems to see these moments as a time to prove His nearness and His sufficiency.
Now then, I am forced to recognize the truth. When a moment of change or transition encroaches on the life I know, I am supposed to see the implicit invitation. The invitation is simple. The LORD of heaven and earth is inviting me to experience His nearness and His sufficiency. The LORD of life is inviting me to choose HIM over and my self, my affections, and my wisdom. This is the truth before me and all of us when change occurs.
Hopefully, we will choose wisely as Joshua did. In verse 10 we see how Joshua obeyed the Lord. And just as God didn't waste time giving the order, Joshua didn't waste time in fulfilling the order. Yet, the funniest thing is that after following the Lord's lead Joshua found affirmation from the least likely place - the people he was called to lead. "16 Then they answered Joshua, "Whatever you have commanded us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we fully obeyed Moses, so we will obey you. Only may the LORD your God be with you as he was with Moses. 18...Only be strong and courageous!"
The point I am trying to drive home in my own soul (and hopefully you catch it too) is that even though transitions and change seem like unwelcome bedfellows in this life, they are beautifully necessary. They force me to find the end of my self, so that Jesus has room to move me, as He sees fit. Now then... what will we choose?
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