“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 1:2
Joshua had pretty much spent his entire life in service to Moses. He had been there from the very beginning of the Exodus from Egypt, through spying out the Promised Land, and for forty years in the wilderness. He had seen miracles, he had seen plagues, he had seen victories, he had seen defeat. Moses wasn’t a democratically elected leader of the Israelites, he was a prophet ordained by God to lead His people.
In light of all of this, Joshua 1:2 recounts God’s first words to Joshua the new leader. “Moses my servant is dead.” Words which are heavy and final. Moses is gone and He’s not coming back. It would be tempting to doubt the future of the nation. For the United States it would have been as if President George Washington had died in office. Would the country continue as we have known it? Joshua, no doubt, must have wrestled with the future and his ability to lead. The good news is that God had plans for Joshua. God doesn’t stop calling and leading His people. He gives Joshua the charge to pick up the mantle and lead the people to the Promised Land.
God is not done raising up new leaders to carry out his mission. For many in my generation we looked to Dr. Billy Graham as a leader among born again Christians. This past year we saw this man who was a spiritual giant transition to glory. God will raise up another to give leadership. Many churches go through cycles of leadership as pastors leave or retire, but God is still at work and He will continue to call and equip those to lead.
Questions for thought:
What is God calling you to do with your life as part of His mission?
How are helping or hindering raising up the next generation of leaders in your home, in your community, in your church?