He will not fail you
Deuteronomy 31:8 When God gives you an assignment, know that He is clearing the way for you, will be with you constantly, and will never fail you.
“The Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.””
Deuteronomy 31:8 NASB1995
Imagine that you’re Joshua, and Moses (now 120 years old) is about to hand control of the nation of Israel over to you. After decades of following the Lord’s anointed, and witnessing both his leadership and the Lord’s protection and provision, you are about to take on the task of finally leading the people into the Promised Land. Wouldn’t you be filled with trepidation, even knowing that the Lord was with you every step of the way?
Moses had just finished telling the people that he would not be entering the Promised Land with them. He had misrepresented the Lord when Israel complained and cried out for water at Meribah (Numbers 20:2-11), acting as if God needed him to provide water for the people. He lectured the nation harshly and quite unnecessarily, and after God specifically told Moses to simply speak to a rock to have it produce an abundance of clear water, he made a show of the miracle by angrily striking the rock twice with his staff.
There’s a lesson here: when God tells you what to do and how to do it, obey him. Don’t try to puff yourself up by making it look like you’re the one performing the miracle. Moses disobeyed God, and God punished Moses by immediately telling him he would not be the one leading the nation into the Promised Land: “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” (Numbers 20:12)
Joshua, having seen the punishment meted out by God on Moses for disobedience, probably felt more than a bit nervous. Moses saw that Joshua might be hesitant, so he encouraged the younger man on behalf of God so that Joshua could fulfill the destiny awaiting him.
The work of bringing the people to the Promised Land was the Lord’s doing; Moses, Aaron, and Joshua were among the men and women who made themselves available to serve the Lord. God almost always does His work through these kind of people. Moses spoke to Joshua with the wisdom acquired during 120 years of life, during which he had made some serious mistakes but with God’s guidance, had the Lord’s goal — the Promised Land — nearly in sight.
The encouragement that Moses gave Joshua was straight to the point: God was the one leading the way, He would be with Joshua every step of the way, and He would never fail Joshua. Joshua might — like Moses — make mistakes, but God would see him through.
There’s a lesson in here for us as well. When God gives you an assignment, know that He is clearing the way for you, will be with you constantly, and will never fail you. With that in mind, how can you fail?
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Heaven Father, thank You for the truth contain in Scripture. Unlike in the days of Moses, I may not see a manifestation of your presence or my direction from a pillar of fire, but I know that today we live by faith in Your Word, not by sight. Thank You for Your promises to be with me, lead me, guide me, protect me, and supply all my needs. I praise Your holy name! In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.