The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

In chapter 31 of Deuteronomy, Moses is talking to Joshua and getting him ready to become his successor.  This is a pretty big deal and Joshua is pretty young.  He has a large task in front of him and it is about to get larger once he is the one in charge of leading this massive group of people.  These words are designed to help Joshua to understand that he won’t be alone because the same God that has help guide Moses will guide him as well.  I can’t even begin to imagine what it would be like to have that responsibility.  He had a extreme amount of pressure on him to take over this position and there was no way for him to get out of it.  He was chosen by God to succeed Moses and that was the end of it.

Something else that I noticed is that Lord had just said the exact same thing to Moses a couple verses before. Moses wasn’t too keen on the concept of not being able to go into the Promised Land, and it was hard for him to conceive that it would happen without him.  The Lord knew that Moses would have reservations about this set up, and so he gave him a similar message (31:6).

Why do I say this? Joshua and Moses were both looking at the situation and they were so focused on the way things were looking that they need God to step in and reminded them that He would always be there. They got overwhelmed by the situation and lost focus of the one who had brought them to the Promised Land in the first place.  God had already promised them something and they got sidetracked by what they saw…

As I write this today I am being sidetracked by the fact that I’m trying to graduate from school and getting all this stuff done by Friday. I am also slightly sidetracked by the fact that I don’t really know what lies ahead for me in the job realm after I’m done with school. A couple weeks I got so overwhelmed that I had to lay in my bed for almost 3 days and sleep and cry.  The only thing that I could see was all the stuff that was in front of me and that I had tons of deadlines and there was no way that I could finish them all.  Fortunately, I had a wife that gave me the encouragement that said God hadn’t left me and wasn’t going to. I knew that and have told other people that before, but it seemed so far away in my own heart and mind.

Shortly after that conversation, I was at the park and started to notice really simple beauties like freshly cut grass and birds singing…you know, things that only God could have done. It was at that point, I really grasped that God had been there all along.  He just sat and waited for me silently to recognize him.  I wasn’t thinking about how good God was, I was thinking about all my problems.  However, he ‘stole’ a moment and caught my attention just enough to say, “hey, I’m still here…” I’m so thankful for the stolen moments. They are moments that God turns into quiet times and reflective moments where we cannot deny him and his existence.  So when you’re bogged down with all that is going on with life, keep your eyes open…God is probably doing something that will catch your eye and make you remember who He is…

In the quiet, in the stillness I know that you are God. In the secret of your presence I know there I am restored…

There is no one else for me, none but Jesus. Crucified to set me free, now I live to bring Him praise… -Brooke Fraser

Have you ever thought about what it means to really just be quiet and still before God? How much time do you actually spend in the stillness? I am the first to admit that I don’t spend much time in quiet. My life is crazy busy most of the time and I really miss those opportunities.  What is the verse of this song saying? It says that in the presence of God when you take the time to settle down and spend some time with him you get that restoration that your heart so desperately needs. How does that time look for you? Are you struggling to figure out when that time is right now? How important is it for you to have time where you let God restore your heart? Important enough to let some things go?

Right now, I am in the process of talking to 4 different churches about my future as a worship pastor. I never thought I’d be in this situation, but here I am. Let me tell you…if this process is anything like today has been, this is going to be a busy season in my life. However, I know that if I don’t take the time to be still before God and let Him restore my heart and mind, I’m not going to be my best as I let Him lead me in my decision making. I could very easily do something that He’s not calling me to do. As I write this, I realize that blogging is one of those quiet times for me. My life flows through my fingers during these times and it’s therapeutic for me. God speaks to me during these times and I’m able to just be…

You should try it sometime. You will be surprised at what He might tell you. I know I was…