hang on

Don't be afraid or discouraged,

for the Lord is the One Who goes before you.

He will be with you..

He will neither fail you or forsake you.

Deuteronomy 31:8



This is what Moses said to the children of Israel right before the Jews entered the Promised land, to conquer it & the people living there.


It must have scared them to death to invade Canaan with the mandate to conquer the people living there.


Of course, we find their fears silly - but then , we know the end of the story - they didn't.


The same assurance God gave the Jews through Moses' statement applies to us, too.


We live in perilous times - when haven't we?


But these days at least seem to be a heck of a lot more perilous than usual.


It seems that each day more & more people get up each morning & take a crazy pill.


And those who already seem to be crazy must get up each day & take at least a double dose of crazy pills.


The word here is "don't be afraid".


I don't think that means everything will be just hunky dory.


I do think that God is saying to us, no matter what happens, don't be afraid.


"The Lord is the One Who goes before you."


iow, He's out there in the immediate as well as the long term future, preparing the way.


"He will be with you."


iow, we won't be alone.


There is nothing more frightening or bone-crushingly lonely that going through the seasons of life feeling you are by yourself.


There's nothing worse than thinking or knowing no one is walking with us, maybe not so much making things easier, but just to be there to walk with us.


It's horrendous to feel alone in life.


And God will "never fail us or forsake us."


iow, He's never going away, & never leaving us out on a limb.


We've never gonna look up & realize we're alone.


We have to hold on to these basic truths as we pass through these crazy, insane times.


If we don't, we will become just as crazy & insane as we seem so many, many people around us becoming each day.


Let's hold on to the first 3 words of this verse as we walk through these perious times...


"Don;t be afraid..."