Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. 

- Joshua 1:9

While I sit here snug in my living room, all my little (and not so little) people are off to their first week of school.

A new school, in a new city. And, I cannot help but send my heart and my fears with them. Will they make friends? Will they know how to get to their classes and lockers? Will they have someone to play with at recess or sit with at lunch? The list goes on… And yet, this verse calls me to truth. The very words of God himself ring in my ears, “the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Wherever. In all of the places I cannot go, God is there. He is there in those unfamiliar halls, at recess and at lunch. My kids are not alone. Ever.

This is the verse I prayed with them two nights ago. I told them the story of Joshua, a new leader, going to an unfamiliar place. And, what does God tell him? He says in verse 5, “I will never leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous…” And, again in our verse, he says, “Be strong and courageous.” Why? Because, “ The LORD your God will be with you wherever you go”. I spoke these true words to them: You are not alone, God is with you WHEREVER YOU GO.

And so, in the middle of my worries, I’m reminded of my own words, words I quoted from our Dwell verse to my kids. I’m preaching to my own soul the true words I need again this new day. And, I’m preaching them to you too. Where is your “wherever”? Where do you feel alone and overwhelmed? Where are you out of your element, or out of your league? Wherever your “wherever” is, YOU ARE NOT ALONE. If God is the “Lord YOUR God” like our verse says, than this promise is for you: he will never leave you or forsake you (Josh. 1:5). He knows you deeply, intimately, truly, and he isn’t going to abandon you. Rather, it is because the Mighty God is with you that you can have strength and take courage. So, take courage today. "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." I will say it again, "for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Where is your "wherever"?

How does knowing that God is with you in your "wherever" give you strength and courage?