After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them—to the Israelites. I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:1-5)
Newyear celebrations are over and the holiday gifts have been unwrapped. The leftovers are almost gone and we have had to let our belts out a notch or two. All seems well and we are happy as can be – or are we? Some of us may feel what is called the “After-holiday Let Down”. For some, it is a brief pause; a time to catch our breaths and meditate. But for others, it is a lingering feeling of being overwhelmed by life itself.
The first week of January is reported to be the most depressing week of the year. According to a study, January 6 is the most depressing day of the year. (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2534162/Dont-expect-tomorrow-January-6-officially-depressing-day-year.html). Researchers analyzed more than two million tweets posted by Britons in January looking for negative language and phrases indicating a drop in mood. They found that on January 6, there will be nearly five times the average number of tweets relating to guilt, as people abandon their promises to pursue a healthier lifestyle. The Institute of Leadership and Management found that most workers who were dissatisfied with their current job change jobs in January. On a happiness index of zero to 100, January 6th scored a lousy 49. In case you were wondering, according to that same happiness index, the happiest days of the year are Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. (Via news.com.au). Well, wait only 11 more months until Christmas. Happy New Year!
Entering a new year is like entering an uncharted territory. The fear of the unknown could cripple our capacity to follow God’s leading through the days ahead. There is a reason why we are here in the New Year. A lot of people who started the year are not with us any more. Moses generation is gone. The Joshua generation is on. The people of God stood on the edge of a new opportunity. After forty years of life in the desert, this new generation may have wondered if they had the faith and fortitude to possess the Promised Land. Their leader Moses is not with them any more. They are about to cross over the Jordan River into the Promised Land. They have bittersweet memories. We can look back and remember, but we cannot retrace a single moment of the year that is past.
God often calls us to chart unknown territory as we follow Him. Obeying His commands to forgive, to give away our treasures, or to give up things that provide security and pleasure often leave us in the scary territory of unknown outcomes. God has blessed us with opportunities. But an opportunity is also a challenge, sometimes almost a threat, because an opportunity missed may be a disaster.But a new job means you have a challenge to do better than the last job. In a new job they don’t know your weaknesses, failures and problems. A new job is a second chance.
To experience God’s purpose of the new experience, we need to have a renewed focus in life. Joshua told the people that their focus should be the ark of God. Focus on God’s power and gain a healthy sense of preparedness that we must finish.“You cannot drive by looking at the rearview mirror”, said Colin Powell, the former genreal of the US forces and the former Secretary of State of the United States government. Past failures may deter us from going forward. Experience is our strength. As we face tomorrow our experience of yesterday gives us strength to move forward.
A construction crew was building a new road through a rural area, knocking down trees as it progressed. A superintendent noticed that one tree had a nest of birds who couldn’t yet fly and he marked the tree so that it would not be cut down. Several weeks later, the superintendent came back to the tree. He got into a bucket truck and was lifted up so that he could look into the nest. To his surprise, he discovered that the fledglings were gone. They had obviously learned to fly. The superintendent then ordered the tree to be cut down. As the tree crashed to the ground, the nest fell clear and some of the material that the birds had gathered to make the nest was scattered about. Part of it was a scrap torn from a Sunday school pamphlet. On the scrap of paper were these words: “He cares for you!” (1 Peter 5:7). You can get confused about the problems of tomorrow, but you cannot get confused about the faithfulness of God. Just as the Lord watched over the land and His people, so His eyes will be upon us. "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10).
Our task is to arise and Cross. Each of us has at least one story like the crossing of the Jordan, and each of us has those rivers to cross, in small decisions, in overwhelming decisions, but crossing as a faithful people is the same and God has promised to be with us in all those crossings.
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