(Read Joshua 1)
As a spiritual exercise several months ago, everyone in our Life Group was encouraged to spend 30 minutes alone with God. No prayers, no distractions, just quiet meditation with God, our Father. I remember every minute of my conversation. In a recent interview, my wife’s cousin (S), described a similar encounter she experienced in the actual Garden of Gethsemane. It’s more likely that her event left a much deeper mark than mine.
“When you mentioned ‘testimony,’ it sparked my thinking,” (S) began. “I always believed I had good faith, strong faith, and I have always been a believer, so that’s never been a question for me. When I was growing up, Daddy and I were the churchgoers in our house.” Both (S) and her sister still refer to their Dad as “Daddy.” I love it. She continued, “I wasn’t an expert, but I felt very comfortable with the church things.”
Many regular church-goers often discover something missing in their faith walk. “What I found out is that as I got older, I believed in the tradition of the church, I certainly believed in Jesus and God and all the things that we learned about, but what I didn’t have was a relationship with Jesus.”
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13
The verse is spoken by the prophet Jeremiah to the Israelites who had been exiled to Babylon, facing a long and uncertain future, and many were discouraged and hopeless. God promises that if we (and the Israelites) seek Him with all our hearts, we will find him. Our desire for God should be sincere and genuine and not simply going through the motions of religion. Jeremiah added that the promise of “finding Him” means that God will reveal himself to us in a personal way. Sadly, unlike (S), some people will never find this personal relationship because they don’t put enough meaning into the journey.
(S)’s family moved from Illinois to Florida. They weren’t sure about the quality of the local schools, so they interviewed at a Christian High School for their youngest daughter. In the interview, they asked her for her testimony. “She was looking at me, and she started talking about her walk with God. I wouldn’t have known what to say because it wasn’t something I knew of or was comfortable with, but she handled it just fine, answered the questions, and knew what she was talking about.” (S) smiled, “That is what a testimony is!”
In September 2013, she got Baptized with her youngest daughter and her daughter’s boyfriend (now husband). “We didn’t plan it. The evening service was a huge community gathering. The whole thing was so moving. They asked if there was anybody who wanted to make this commitment, and they said what are your excuses,” which reminds me of Jeremiah’s quote above. Are we serious about having a personal relationship with God or just pretending and doing churchy things? “I’ll never forget it,” (S) continued. “I still have pictures of it in my phone as a date for me to remember.”
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Proverbs shows us that our trust in the Lord relies on His wisdom, providence, and guidance in all aspects of life. It is total surrender and acknowledgment of our own limited understanding. Turning our sovereignty over to God will lead to a Christ-centered, purposeful life aligned with His will. In other words, He makes our paths straight.
“I feel like my walk has changed. It’s not a strength of commitment I’m lacking; it’s the strength of action. I used to be really active in faith groups and women’s groups. I feel like I need to take more action than what I’m doing now. I’m still doing devotionals, I pray, I read the Bible, I do things to keep my faith strong, and I know I don’t waver.” Laughing, she said, “I waiver about other things in my life, but my faith is always there.”
(S) showed a trace of disappointment when describing the status of her faith in action. Sometimes, we’re harder on ourselves because we know there’s laziness or apathy in our efforts, and sometimes, we’re harder on ourselves because we expect more than we have the capacity to do. In the 39 years I’ve known her, I have never witnessed anything resembling a lack of faith.
I suggested, “Maybe you’re at a point in your faith walk where you’re not exhibiting as much faith in action as you would like, but maybe God is doing something different through you right now. While it’s not action, maybe it’s something else. I bet you’re doing a lot for the Kingdom.” (S)’s path is so straight; her faith is so much a part of her fiber, so obvious, that my wife encouraged me two years ago to interview her.
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
Matthew 26:36;39
Gethsemane was the tipping point for Jesus’ life and ministry. Despite knowing what was in store for Him, Jesus stripped himself bare, opening Himself up to God and surrendering to His will. Jesus knew what was coming from God’s wrath. More than the anguish and brutal pain coming His way was the torment of separation from God, the Father. In pouring Himself out to God, he also connected deeply with Him. In the Garden, Christ experienced humility and obedience, empathy and humanness, fear and sorrow, unbounded love and submission.
“When we were in Jerusalem, I visited the Garden of Gethsemane. There was a time when it was just our group there, and… (she hesitated) we were set out to wander and spend our own time in any way we wanted while we were there. It was such a dramatic thing that happened to me, it was how to talk to God. I thought I knew, but I realized I wasn’t talking. We had a little discussion in our group about God being our Father, and for some reason, that all hit home in the Garden, and I thought, okay!”
I could see the unmistakable impact of that moment on her face. She continued, “Your Father loves you no matter what, He wants you to speak, share your feelings and your thoughts, and of course, Daddy came to my mind. I missed him so, and I thought… I have a heavenly Father who I can talk to. And it was just a very emotional thing. Why didn’t I think of this in this way before? It came to me that God is my heavenly father I can speak to as a Father. That was a change for me.”
Listening to (S) describe this pivotal life event, I hungered for more. My mind was racing, fueled by my ADD, I would normally interrupt, but I could feel the Holy Spirit speaking through her. There was no way I was interrupting her. “My conversation in Gethsemane was real. It is clearly still with me today. I can feel the emotion and what it did for me. It opened my eyes to different ways of talking with God and reflecting on it.”
“It’s funny because at that time, my husband would ask ‘Why can’t I believe the way you do? Why do I question?’” While in Israel, they had an opportunity to be Baptized in the River Jordan. “He was really, really struggling with whether to do it or not. He was afraid he wasn’t there yet.” Apparently, he was ready. “It was absolutely amazing, and a good friend who is also a minister Baptized him.”
“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1:7
(S) talks to Jesus. She’s in touch with His will but confessed she struggles with worry. “Yes, I know better. I have to trust, and I tell my kids the same thing. My worrying is saying I don’t have enough faith.” I thought that self-assessment was pretty harsh. We all fight the trap of worry. If we didn’t, Jesus wouldn’t have told us not to worry about what’s coming tomorrow (Matthew 6:34). “I’ve always been confident, but we’ve been hit with a lot of things.”
Both (S) and her husband have been diagnosed with cancer. Their granddaughter had a very rough entrance into this world and continues to face challenges. You wouldn’t know it by talking with (S).
“Suddenly, you realize people that you love get sick, people that you love die, people that you love suffer. You have children and grandchildren who have issues that are very difficult to cope with, and it doesn’t mean there’s a lack of love for you from God. It’s just things that we need to find ways to work through.”
Her family is so grounded in their love for God that I’ve always wondered how they got there. She didn’t answer directly but told me through stories. “I heard my daughter saying something to my 2.5-year-old granddaughter about God being with her when she got scared in the dark. She was actually quoting something that she’d learned. When I recognize something that seems to have faith involved in it, it gives me more confidence in life. It surrounds you with love.”
(S) gives her younger sister a lot of credit for her own faith. “My sister changed so much with her marriage and involvement in the church. And I love to see her growth. She flew past me regarding her ability to put things in words, with her ‘God Moments,’ her comfort and talking about it, and talking to people about it, where I’m still not quite there.”
“But you have different gifts,” I answered.
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
This verse comes right after Moses’ death, leaving Joshua as the point man to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Strength and courage come from reliance on God’s guidance and the assurance of His presence. They’re not natural qualities but gifts from God for those who believe. Without His presence, God is just a concept. With His presence, Jesus is a person who loves us and whom we love. Joshua’s words inspire and comfort believers, encouraging us to face challenges with faith and confidence in God’s support.
God’s call doesn’t guarantee ease but provides strength and courage to face it.
“When I found out I had cancer, I wasn’t ever afraid. I didn’t like what I was going to have to deal with, but I wasn’t afraid. Never. And my kids knew it, they were never afraid either. They saw what I saw and felt.” Faith is infectious. “When a family member has been sick or dealing with medical issues and special needs, that’s been hard, but I don’t stress about it. I have faith. Our granddaughter is loved, and she’s happy, and whatever is going to happen is going to happen, and we’ll just be there for her with her as long as we can be, and then someone else will be.”
“Where others have gone down the trail of saying why did this happen and why isn’t God fixing this? I see good things, and also, maybe we need to deal with some things that we’d never dealt with before. I can’t say why, and I don’t really think I’ll ever be able to figure that out, but I don’t spend time thinking about that. And so I believe faith has been with me when our granddaughter was really sick and going through all kinds of things, and I do remember crying and praying out loud a lot.
I think that you have to believe in being thankful. Seeing faith in others when they are helping you is a big deal to me.”
How (S) lives her life answers any questions about her level of faith. You don’t have to look too hard to see who God is to her. It’s evident in every aspect of her life. “Believing in Christ is worth it. To spend time in faith, to spend time with God in prayer and thought, and letting that guide us at times when things seem like they’re not so good, not to give up but to seek that support because it’s there whether it’s directly between you and God or between you and your fellow believers and family believers, I think we have a lot we can do.”
You don’t get to this level of Christian faith without a guide, without a Father who holds your hand and walks with you. You don’t get to this point alone.
(S) summarized her thoughts, “And I do think about Mom and Daddy so often and their faith and where they were and where they are now. I hope that I’m reunited with them someday.” I don’t doubt a reunion in the Garden for a minute!
“Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them.”
Deuteronomy 4:9
Key Applications:
Read Joshua 1. This is a lifelong study guide, not a set-it-and-forget-it application.
- Seek God’s will: As you make life choices, actively seek God’s guidance through prayer and reflection. Remember, fulfilling His purpose for your life will bring profound meaning and satisfaction.
- Step out in faith: Don’t wait for perfect circumstances to take action. Trust God’s guidance and step forward even when the path seems unclear. His presence will direct your steps.
- Be a source of encouragement: Share the message of Joshua 1:9 with others facing challenges. Your own journey of faith and courage can inspire and uplift those around you.
Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.