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"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 31:8, ESV)
Growing up, nightmares were a real thing for me. I would go to sleep, have a terrible dream, and immediately be too scared to go back to sleep. The solution for these terrible dreams and sleepless nights was simple: go to my parents room. I would gather my blanket, tuck my pillow underneath my arms, and quickly walk to my parents bedroom to get away from the nightmare that haunted me in my own bedroom.
I would walk up to my mom's side of the bed, wake her up, and tell her I had a bad dream. I would then plop down on the ground with my blanket and pillow and fall fast asleep! Now, was there something magical and powerful that prevented me from having a bad dream while I was in my parents bedroom? Absolutely not! Was there significance in me choosing my mom's side over my dad's side? Absolutely not! The difference in me being in my parents bedroom and my bedroom was simple: the power of presence.
With my parents so close to me, my mind was at peace. I had confidence that they protected me and would not allow the bad dreams to come into my mind. The power of presence is something that we need to be reminded of today, and more specifically, the power of God's presence.
In Deuteronomy 31, Moses is giving the Israelites the Law again. He is reminding the Israelites of the commandments that God has given. In the midst of the Law being given again, there is also this transfer of power that takes place. There is this moment where Moses' leadership, power, and authority is shifted to Joshua. Moses then tells Joshua the famous verse above! This truth that Moses told Joshua is true for us today!
We are in an unprecedented time during this COVID-19 outbreak. We don't know many things about what is going on or how long it will last, but we do know that it is affecting our everyday lives. Instead of the fear of what this virus is doing to us, we must choose to focus on the truth that God is present with us. We must choose to trust and have faith in the God who goes before us, who is with us, who will never leave or forsake us, and who calls us to not fear or be dismayed. We can have confidence and assurance in these tough and trying moments because of the power of presence. More specifically, we can have confidence and assurance because our God's presence is very near us all the time.
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