Deuteronomy 31:8 Moses speaks to Israel “I am 120 years old this day; I can no more go out and come in. And the Lord has said to me, You shall not go over this Jordan. The Lord, your God will Himself go over before you, and He will destroy these nations from before you, and you shall dispossess them“. After 40 years, God deemed Israel ready to come out of the ‘wilderness’ and take hold of the Land of Promise. After 40 years of leadership, Moses would be turning things over to Joshua. Things were about to change for Israel. Moses reminds them of all they’ve learned, the years walking around the same mountain weren’t in vain. Those years, through hard lessons, were spent learning to trust in and obey God. As exciting as it was to take hold of what’s promised, their next move would be a leap of faith. Now…everything changes. They were expected to fight enemies in this new land under new leadership. Did they consider going back into the wilderness an option? Did Anxiety and Fear take hold of their hearts as they considered how hard the challenges they faced would be? Moses reveals God‘s plan of His presence to Israel. He tells them it’s the Lord, Who goes before them, that it’s the Lord Who will march with them. He encourages them that God will not fail them, let them go or forsake them. In light of this truth, Moses tells them not to be cowards, not to flinch, not to fear, or be broken in spirit, depressed or unnerved with alarm. He tells them not to be overcome by what they feel, but to trust, be obedient and have much faith in the One Who keeps His promises. He tells them to trust God. It’s their lesson…if He brings them to it, He will bring them through it. We learn deep, hard lessons from Israel’s rich history, nothing they’ve overcome was a surprise to God, nor did it happen for no reason but rather served a greater purpose. We look at our own lives as we stand at the precipice, if He’s brought us to it…He’ll bring us through it. The only way we won’t have to g
