When Scripture has a repeated phrase, we ought to pay attention. Four times we are beckoned to the phrase “Be strong and courageous” in Joshua 1, repeated in verses 6, 7, 9, and 18. Three times the Lord spoke these words to Joshua (including a “very” courageous in verse 7). The people echo it back to Joshua in verse 18, the very words God has already spoken to him. Life can be scary and difficult. This repeated call to be strong and courageous is appealing, right up there with “do not be afraid” throughout the Old and New Testament. I’d like to be bold and courageous too, just like Joshua! Yet our human nature is self-justifying. I firmly believe that there are times where you and I are actually being “dumb and stubborn” but we try to convince ourselves that we’re being bold and courageous. How do we know the difference and make that crucial discernment in our lives? After all, “knowing something will hurt and doing it anyway” is the definition of courage and the definition of stupidity. Joshua 1 offers a key distinction in the way the chapter is structured. Note the beautiful symmetry in these 18 verses. The first 9 verses are exclusively God doing the talking. Then Joshua speaks and the people respond in the next 9 verses. Just as when we began reading through the Bible in a year for 2025, we are reminded again that this is about GOD. The Bible is for us; it is a gift, but it’s about God. If we want to be strong and courageous, we ought to want to be so in a way that God blesses. Joshua 1 models for us that if we want strength and courage, God needs to speak into our lives. Granted, if God gives strength and courage, that means there will be a chance to be strong and brave following. (Pray for patience and God will test your patience, ha!) God does half the talking, half the speaking in Joshua 1. I want the strength and courage defined by a life in which the Lord’s voice is the primary one speaking. Yet we might be concerned about the ratio. If we’re awake for 18 hours a day (per the 18 verses in Joshua 1) I don’t know how often we can spend 9 hours a day reading the Bible and praying. Jesus made time for it and we should too, but that might not be our day-to-day rhythm outside of a retreat setting. Yet Joshua is told to meditate on the Law both day and night so he doesn’t stray from it to the left or right. Sounds a little like the emphasis from the Shema in Deuteronomy 6 being repeated, doesn’t it? We all have thoughts and concerns that live rent free in our heads. Spiritual discipline leads us to take a verse, a phrase, even a word from Scripture and make a point of meditating on it. In the stressful times or in the still moments, meditate on the word or phrase or story that God drew your attention to. Memory work isn’t just for children! There’s one other beautiful point in Joshua 1: the people echoed God’s word back to Joshua, even though no one said it to them! Joshua 1:1-9 is God speaking one-to-one with Joshua; nowhere did the Lord say “be strong and courageous” to the Israelites nor did Joshua hint those words to them. The Spirit is at work when we, like Joshua, hear from others what the Lord spoke to us. So when you’re discerning life’s big decisions, when you’ve been making space for God to speak into your life and you think you’ve heard a word from the Lord, pay attention and see if God uses anyone else to echo that word back to you and to confirm that it really is God speaking. That might make all the difference between us being “dumb and stubborn” and truly hearing God’s version and direction of being “strong and courageous.” - Pastor Steven