A Daily Devotion for Wednesday, May 20
- ontrakk
- May 20
- 2 min read
Joshua 1:1-9
After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them —to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates —all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand 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. Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“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. Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; 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. 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.”
God reminds Joshua three times to “be strong and courageous” in these passages. He also reminds the Israelites to hold his Word, the law, close. This would give them direction and help them to stay near to God. There have certainly been seasons in my life which I spent less connected with Him. In retrospect, I am thankful that in the big picture, I never walked away or became so discouraged as to lose my faith. But I clearly could have done better. I was a very young woman when I realized that the weeks and months I spent studying scripture were the closest, most secure and joyful periods in my life. I still wandered off from time to time, but thankfully God’s Word and the knowledge of His presence here today is the very air I breathe.
Lord, May I never again wander off of the path you have set before me. I know without a doubt you are the only Way for me. Amen
Becky, transforming
Joshua 1:1-9
Joshua has some pretty big shoes to fill. After such a long time under Moses‘s leadership, Joshua had to be more than a little overwhelmed with the task of bringing the people into the Promised Land. God emphasizes courage to Joshua. The courage to trust God, the courage to stay faithful and the courage to stay close to God and His Word. There have been numerous seasons in my life where I needed a bit of courage. With all those times, the one consistent thing about getting through a challenge was the need to know God was near. He paved the way every single time and that is the case, going forward with every new season in my…
Johua 1:1-9
The time has come. This is the bigget transistion for the Isealites since they crossed the Red Sea so many years ago. Moses has dies. He had brought them so far but now what will happen? God knows the answer and He calles Joshua. Joshua himself is probably an old man, but God put his trust in him. Several times he tells Joshua to be strong and courageous as He knows what lies ahead. I wish I knew more about Joshua--was he shaking in his sandels or so sure of his God he just moved forward.
Prayer: Gracious God, your stories often leave me wanting more. I want to know your ancient people better. AMEN
Daily devotions ( upper room)
Wednesday, May 20th, 2026
God’s trail map
(Focus: Park Rangers
Today’s reading Joshua 1:1-9
Joshua 1:8
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
To meditate on God’s word means to think deeply and give it my full attention. We meditate when we pause to reflect on a word or phrase. I think that getting a deep understanding of one verse of scripture is more important than reading five chapters and not…