“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 ESV).
All athletes want to play, but not all athletes are starters. Athletes rated lower on the roster than “starters” practice, train, and wait for their opportunity. The phrase “next man up” refers to that opportunity. Such was the case for Tom Brady in September 2001 when an injury to the New England Patriots’ starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe thrust Brady onto center stage. Drafted 199th in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft, Brady’s resume did not suggest stardom, but he responded with excellence when it was his turn to be “next man up.”
Of course, not all “next man up” opportunities end in success; sometimes the separation in talent and training between one player and another is too great to overcome. During the first game of the 2008 season, Brady was the starting quarterback who suffered a season-ending knee injury. Backup quarterback Matt Cassal gamely led the Patriots to an 11-5 record, but they did not make the play-offs.
The call of Joshua was quick and to the point; the time for further preparation had passed. God simply said, “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 ESV). Joshua had become God’s “next man up.”
In life as in athletics, it is disconcerting taking center stage despite training and preparation. Confidence is an important character trait, but outcomes from human efforts are never certain. Joshua had doubts about the outcome—he must have, because four times God offered Joshua assurance to be “strong and courageous.”
We kid ourselves when we believe we are in control of much, if anything, that goes on around us. Maybe that was what caused Joshua to doubt the outcome of his assignment. Many years after Joshua’s call, the writer of Ecclesiastes would wisely note, “the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to those with knowledge, but time and chance happen to them all (Ecclesiastes 9:11 ESV).
Now you might say that if God actually spoke out loud to you, you would have the faith you need and would not hesitate to go where He commands and do what He says to do. But even the original Disciples struggled with faith the size of a mustard seed. And hasn’t God actually spoken to you, and me, through His Scriptures? When you get right down to it, God cares about what we are doing every single second of every single day. God has a plan for us; He has spoken it aloud to us if we would only listen. And listening, if we would only do—being strong and very courageous—then God would ensure the outcome is to our good.
Friends, God says to us as He said to Joshua, “Have I not commanded you?” Embodied in God’s command are His character, His worthiness, His goodness, His power, His purpose, His Sovereignty, and His faithfulness. When we hesitate, it says a lot about our faith.
Today, remind yourself that God is whispering in your ear, “Have I not commanded you?” Step forth boldly to live the life God has called you to live, trusting the outcome not to your own ability, but rather, on His promises. God alone assures success.