Joshua (Fear)

Internal Struggle

Fear

Joshua had been Moses’s assistant for forty years. He had seen more of God’s power than almost anyone alive. He had been in the minority report with Caleb and had been right. And yet when the time came for him to lead Israel into Canaan after Moses died, God told him four times in the first chapter not to be afraid. The instruction was not accidental. Joshua needed to hear it.

What Happened?

Joshua served as Moses’s assistant throughout the wilderness years, went to the top of Mount Sinai with Moses, and was one of the two spies who believed Israel could take Canaan. After Moses died, God commissioned Joshua to lead Israel across the Jordan River and into the promised land. God told him to be strong and courageous three times in the first nine verses of Joshua 1. He led Israel through the Jordan on dry ground, oversaw the fall of Jericho through an unconventional strategy, and led a series of military campaigns that established Israel in the land. When he was old and the work was largely done, he called all of Israel together and gave them a final challenge to choose who they would serve (Joshua 1; 24).

How Did Fear Affect Joshua?

Joshua needed direct, repeated instruction from God not to be afraid before he could step into the assignment
After the defeat at Ai caused by Achan’s sin, Joshua fell on his face and mourned in a way that God had to interrupt, telling him to get up and deal with the problem (Joshua 7:10)
His fear was real enough that God specifically addressed it multiple times rather than once
He had to lead a nation through something that had never been done before with no human precedent to follow
His courage was not the absence of fear but the willingness to move anyway, which is what God kept calling him toward
His faithfulness across decades of small assignments prepared him for the large one, and the large one required everything he had built in the small ones

The Turning Point

Joshua’s turning point was stepping into the Jordan River before it parted. God told the priests carrying the ark to step into the water first, and the river would stop. The river did not stop until their feet touched the water (Joshua 3:13-16). That moment required every person at the front of the line to take a step before there was any visible evidence that the step would work. Joshua led the nation into that moment. The man who had needed four reminders not to be afraid walked forward into a flooded river bank first. That is what courage under fear actually looks like.

The Pattern That Led to Healing

Received clear and repeated direction from God before stepping into the assignment
Built a decades-long track record of faithfulness in smaller roles before the large one arrived
Took the step before there was visible evidence it would work
Addressed problems directly when God told him to rather than staying in grief
Finished the assignment and called others to make the same choice he had made throughout his life

Practical Steps for Facing Fear

Receive the instruction not to be afraid as many times as you need it rather than pretending you only needed it once
Take the step before the evidence arrives, most significant things begin before the outcome is visible
Build your faithfulness in small assignments now, you will need that track record when the large one comes
When you fall on your face in grief after a setback, listen for the instruction to get up and address the actual problem
Lead from the front in the moments that require it, people follow someone who moves toward the hard thing, not someone who directs others toward it from a safe distance
Let the repeated reminders you receive be encouragement rather than evidence that something is wrong with you
Finish well, call the people around you to make the same commitments at the end that you made at the beginning