It's Above Me Now

So I know you're probably looking at the title of this and rolling your eyes, right? I get it. It's a little overkill, but just hear me out. I'll be using this phrase in the context of my boy Joshua. 

Joshua 1:1-5 New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord’s Charge to Joshua

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. 3 I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— 4 from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea[a] in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ 5 No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

Alright so let's jump right into it....Moses is dead. This is the same Moses whose mother's sacrifice and prayers saved his life and made him royalty when he was just a Hebrew boy. This is the same Moses who saved the life of a fellow Hebrew by killing an Egyptian. This is the same Moses that God spoke to via a burning bush. This is the same Moses who boldly went before the pharaoh on behalf of the Israelites. This the same Moses that parted the Red Sea and began the journey to land of milk and honey. The same Moses that God gave the 10 commandments. 

To say the least, Joshua had HUGE shoes to fill. He had been in Moses's shadow this entire time. He did everything Moses told him to. Joshua hadn't even really had the time to really grieve Moses' death before God was like "Alright, that's enough. We got business to tend to." Joshua had to go from serving Moses to now taking his place as leader of the Israelites (just for the record I almost said "take his place at Pride Rock.") 

I can't even begin to imagine what Joshua felt in that moment. The tears on His face hadn't even dried good, and God is telling him all of this. Had I been him I'd be like

And the thing about it is Joshua couldn't even say no because it's above him at that point. For some of you, your,our (yes our) assignment is bigger than us. Some of you are going to break generational curses that go back 4 or 5 generations. Some of you are going to be the one to be the light in your neighborhood, your schools, your jobs. You'll be the one. It's not even about you at that point.

To be honest, it's extremely overwhelming. You may think that you're not qualified or that you aren't prepared for something this big. Joshua probably thought the same thing. However, there was no one more qualified than Joshua. Joshua was Moses' right hand man. He went everywhere Moses went. He watched his every step. No one was closer to him than Joshua. Even if Joshua had any fear or doubt in his mind, God gave him his reassurance

Joshua 1:6-9 New Living Translation (NLT)

6 “Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. 7 Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. 8 Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

So be strong and of good courage, God is with you. There's nothing too hard for him. He's there with you. Remember-- it's above you now.