After the death... the Lord spoke

1Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2“Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel.”
Joshua 1:1-2

Forty years before this, Moses started the liberation and led the Israelites slaves out of Egypt. They were on their way to the Promised Land. Forty years, which seems to be a whole life time of nomadic wandering. Finally they were getting close to the end. Finally they had a glimpse of the other side of the Jordan River, peering into the land of milk and honey. Anticipations built, dreams accumulated, joy was about to burst forth.

But suddenly all that anticipation ended when “Moses… is dead”. Moses, who always knew “where are we going?” Moses, who was “the servant of the Lord”.

And so what’s next now?

Have you ever felt that way? Lost. Confused. Fragmented.

Enroll in college with “Undecided” as major. Wander the lonely streets when the whole city asleep. Click through the Internet looking for nothing. Chanel surf to the wee hours on a fried-brain. Or wake up with a hangover, ashamed and depressed.

“Now it came about after the death… that the Lord spoke” – God is there, even in our lost and confused fragments.

Worse, have you ever felt the servants of the Lord dead in your soul?

What to do when Christians turn out to be mean people. What to do when the church overlooks us; when even our family seems to forget us. The Christian brother who is in an illicit relationship. The youth leader who is cheating in school. The small group member who is gossiping. The elder who is abusing his kid. The leader and even pastor who is disappointing us deeply.

“Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord that the Lord spoke” – God is there, even in our most angry, frustrated and dishearten times.

He spoke. No excuses or apologies. He simply confirmed the fact, “Moses - My servant - is dead.”

God is always here, and He spoke. The question is “Are we listening?” Spend the next few minutes in prayer with God. (You can write your prayer out on the back of this page too, that way you will be reminded later on). You can pray and…

- Presenting to God about the situations of where you are coming from. What are your lost, setbacks, disappointments and issues? Are they distracting you from hearing God’s directives for your lives?

- Asking God to addressing your situations. What would He want you to do: How are you to “arise”? What is the “Jordan” that you must cross? Who should be by your side? Where is God leading you?

Through out the rest of the day, find time to reflect on what God is addressing you here.