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"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
(Joshua 1:9)
Last week, I spoke to about 75 Texas pastors on a Zoom meeting. I enjoyed sharing with these men of God and offering some words of hope and encouragement during these very challenging days. We all agreed that we are in an unprecedented time, a season we never saw coming. One pastor, Byron McWilliams, asked how we pastors in January 2020 could ever see that in just a couple of months this pandemic would strike our world and turn everything upside down. No one could have ever predicted it. This pandemic caught this world by surprise, but it did not shock or sneak up on God. He knows all things, and his view of time is much different than our own. Time is past, present, and future, all laid out before Him. He is eternal and knows the beginning from the end. Jesus said in Revelation 1:8, "'I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,' says the Lord, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" The Greek word translated "Almighty" is pantokrator; I love that word. It means all-powerful, ruler of all. Aren't you glad that God is in control and we are not? He's got the whole world in His hands, including you and me.
The message I shared with the pastors last week is the same message I gave on our weekly podcast REvangelical. So far, the message has only been on audio and video, but I want to write it out for you with more details. I hope this message for leaders encourages you. So many who are reading this devotional today are leaders. You lead your family, your employees at work, your business, your church, etc.
These are very trying and challenging days, and what we need more than ever are leaders who will lead well during these tough times. Hard days call for rock-solid leaders who will give guidance and hope in the midst of chaos and confusion.
The word I want to impress upon your heart and mind as a leader is the word courage. If we have ever needed to be bold, strong, and courageous, then it is certainly right now. Why? Because so many are fearful. The fear and anxiety are most palpable. If you talk to anyone for any amount of time, you will hear it in their voices, and you can see the pain and hurt they are experiencing.
You may come back and say, "I get it. I am a leader, but I am fearful too!" Yes, I hear you loud and clear. However, courage is not the absence of fear; rather, it is moving forward in spite of the fear.
I have always loved President Theodore Roosevelt's quote from "The Man in the Arena" speech. Roosevelt knew a great deal about leading with courage. For him, courage meant to dare greatly. The famous quote from President Roosevelt was delivered in a speech at the Sorbonne at the University of Paris in France on April 23, 1910. Another quote from this speech which has not garnered as much attention but really spoke to me is this one:
"Self-restraint, self-mastery, common sense, the power of accepting individual responsibility and yet of acting in conjunction with others, courage and resolution—these are the qualities which mark a masterful people."
(Reference.)
This following quote is the more famous one from this speech. It has inspired many leaders, and I hope it lifts your spirit today as well:
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."
As God told Joshua in our biblical text for today, may you also be strong and have courage; do not fear. If you know God, then you should also know that He is with you. When God is with you, that is all you need. As you face perhaps your toughest test to date, be courageous.
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