Despite everything they’d had to go through, when Israel encountered difficulties in the wilderness, they wanted to return to their old life of slavery in Egypt. The security of the known was less threatening to them than the challenges of the unknown. So the Lord said to them, not once, but twice: ‘Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid…[of] them…the Lord your God will…go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor [forsake] you.’ The unknown can be pretty scary, and often we can choose to stay in a bad situation, or return to one, because it feels safer than stepping into something completely new. But the promise God made to the Israelites is the same promise He makes to us today. He will be with us, and He’ll go ahead of us. While what’s ahead is unknown to us, it’s known by God and He’ll walk with us into it. Fear can be crippling. It stops us from moving forwards, but when we take action and move forward anyway, we overcome the fear. A lot of the men and women in the Bible who God called to do great things felt inadequate, and told God they couldn’t do it. And God responded to them by saying things like: ‘I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10 NLT). So whatever opportunity or obstacle we’re facing today, we need to factor God in. With Him on our side, what we have is always greater than whatever we lack. And we can walk forwards, even when we feel fear, because we know that God will strengthen and uphold us, and He’ll walk alongside us into the unknown.

What Now?

Memorise Deuteronomy 31:6 or Isaiah 41:10. Repeat them to yourself when you’re feeling fearful of stepping into something new.