God’s Reality Check

“The words from the Lord to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant.  Moses my servant is dead.  Now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people into the land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.”

Joshua 1:1a-2

What a dose of reality!  Moses is dead… You are in charge.  I have to wonder what went through Joshua’s mind as he considered the task ahead.  “Mr. Second Fiddle” was now the leader of the band.  His assignment was to lead a million plus people into a strange new world.  Sure, God called it “The Promise Land” but the truth was no one knew what to expect.  God used words like “flowing with milk and honey” but he also included the reality that it was currently occupied by the Canaanites, the Hittites and other folks who were not going to be real cooperative when it came to allowing foreigners to move in. 

There was also the baggage that this wandering tribe carried with them.  They carried the memories of four hundred years of living comfortably in Egypt.  Granted, they were forced to live under the rules and demands of Pharaoh but still their needs were met.  They had even grown to accept the reality of living in tents as they camped out in the wilderness for forty years.  Again, they had become accustomed to the certainty of manna in the morning and quail in the evening.  Crossing the Jordan River and entering a strange new world was scary.  They were warned that there were battles ahead and they were a wandering tribe, not a mighty army. 

And Joshua was called to be their leader…

I have thought about Joshua a lot in the last few weeks.  Like others, I have been wandering in the wilderness that is the reality sheltering at home during a pandemic.  We were only a few weeks into the COVID-19 crisis when my Uncle Don died from the virus.  That was a blow to me because since the death of my dad, Uncle Don was the oldest surviving male in the family.  Uncle Don was a World War II veteran who never married. He lived in the same neighborhood on the east side of Detroit.  It was like having a second dad.  For the last sixteen years he was the patriarch I looked to for wisdom and encouragement.  Granted, he lived over a thousand miles away, but just knowing he was a phone call away gave me some security.  I cherished the times we were together.  I never grew tired to listening to his stories and hearing of his experiences.

Like Joshua, I had a certain sense of fear when I heard the words, “Uncle Don is dead.” There is a certain burden that comes with being the oldest surviving male in a family.  While we are spread far and wide across this great country, we are still a close-knit clan.  I am the oldest of four siblings.  God has blessed Barb and I with three children and four grandchildren.  I sense that they look to me both for wisdom but also a listening ear.  It is a responsibility I take seriously.

I most certainly feel that weight as we venture into the “new world” that will be post COVID-19.  I cherish the memories of the past.  I carry the remembrances of the years of being in ministry, while also raising a family.  In retirement I have sense the need to pass the heritage of faith and values to those around me.  Perhaps I became too comfortable in that role.  Whatever security I felt was rocked on the second weekend in March,  That is when, for the first time, I was forced to shelter at home and worship online, separated from the church family I hold dear.  It was too weeks later, with my Uncle’s passing, that I felt the full weight of the situation.

There is more to Joshua’s story.  With the reality of his new world came a command; “Be strong and courageous…”  These were not words of encouragement or reassurance.  This was a mandate.  To move forward you will need this.  The future requires that you be strong and courageous.  Facing the new “post pandemic world” will require faith and courage as well.  All things of the past are behind us.  Going back to the comforts of Egypt was not an option for the Children of Israel.  Going back to the way it was before March 14 is not a possibility for me either.

The only assurance that I have is that same God who accompanied me in the past is with me now.  I continue to live under the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ.