Autumn is a season of glorious transition. Bright days turn moody, golden light filters through red and orange leaves. Mornings are crisp. Apples are sweet. Bright blue sky hides behind mounds of gray clouds, astonishing us every time we catch a glimpse of its brilliance.
As the world shifts from summer to winter, I find myself contemplating transitions of a hidden nature. And as is God’s way, He’s been guiding my thoughts as I read through Deuteronomy and the book of Joshua.
At the end of his life, after reciting the highlights of the previous 40 years of wilderness wanderings, miracles, battles, failures, and successes of a newly born nation, Moses officiates a transition of leadership from himself to his assistant, Joshua. The Israelites were facing many unknowns. A new land, a new leader, a new way of life.
Moses had this to say to the people…
“Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
And to Joshua, Moses said…
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall go with this people in to the land that the Lord has sworn to their fathers to give them, and you shall put them in possession of it. It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:7-8)
The path before them was uncertain. But the God who was with them had been faithful to His promises. He had delivered them from Egypt. He had destroyed any enemy they faced in the wilderness. He had provided meat, and bread, and water. He had kept their sandals from wearing out and guided them through seas on dry land. He had kept them safe and close for 40 years and He promised to do it again, provided Israel stayed close to Him.
The part of this transition that I find most incredible is that God tells the people the end of their story. Right at the beginning, before they even cross the Jordan, God lays out their future. They would win their battles and establish their cities, but in the comfort of their permanence, they would wander once again. Their hearts would be drawn away from God to the gods of their enemies and this devotion to imagination would destroy them.
Yet God still kept His promise and gave them their inheritance.
Like the Father of the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable, God the Father gave His children an abundance of blessing. God was extravagant in His good gifts. All He desired was for His children to stay in relationship with Him. This is all He still wants today.
The transitions of life, as nerve-racking as they may be, reveal where our loyalties lie. The things we fear show us the chinks in our faith. When I worry about finances, I’m really worried that God won’t provide for my needs. When I worry about where I will live, I’m failing to trust God to guide me. When I worry about difficult choices or suffering I may endure, I’m choosing to believe God does not want good for my life and that His will is not what is best for me.
In all of my fear-filled prayers I feel God impressing on my heart over and over again the same words He gave to Joshua.
“Be strong and courageous…I go before you. I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Don’t be afraid or dismayed.”
God isn’t giving me a map, He’s giving me His hand. He’s asking me to trust Him, stay close to Him, follow Him, walk with Him. He’s promised to meet my needs and fight my battles as long as I keep my eyes on Him.
I don’t know what transition you may be going through or what battles you’re facing, but I know the God of Moses and Joshua is the same God today who loves, protects, and provides for His children. All He asks is for us to lay aside the distractions of gold and stone and cling to Him.
For me, that means setting aside my desire for security and a timeline to trust that His mercies are new every morning and sufficient to get me through whatever I may face each day. That’s easier said than done. But each time I stop clinging to some semblance of a plan and grasp the hem of His robe, I feel the panic retreat and the peace wash over my heart.
All my fighting for control is nothing more than me acting like a toddler squirming out of the big, safe hug God’s trying to give me. Learning to lean into His chest is difficult. I’d rather take comfort in having all the answers. But the answers are a cold idolatrous illusion of safety and His arms are the real haven of rest. If transitions are what keep me close, then I welcome them with the little belief I have and pray God’s mercy and love will lift from my shoulders the heaps of unbelief I carry. I pray the same for you today.