Be Strong and Courageous

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Does this verse sound familiar to you?

It is found in Joshua 1, verse 9 and honestly you can find it everywhere —on throw blankets, and wall hangings, on mugs and t-shirts.  I have it on the cover of a notebook, oh and I also have it embroidered on a pillow!   

Be strong and courageous!  And as empowering as it is, it can also feel overwhelming because most days - the idea of being strong and courageous  isn’t something that naturally comes to me.  But here, sandwiched in this one small verse is a promise — the promise of the presence of God.

Why can you be strong? Why can you be courageous? Because it’s not in you or in me.

God was having a conversation with Joshua. The mighty mentor Moses had passed away and Joshua is now leading the children of Israel into the promised land. Joshua, like most of us, would have some insecurities leading over a million people through some overwhelming and terrifying situations.  And God promised — I will be with your wherever you go.

You don’t need to be afraid. And knowing that God promises to be with us - we can be strong and courageous.

If you are reading this today and don’t feel courageous - maybe you’re feeling a little weak and alone, here is the good news, God promises to be with us. You and I, like Joshua, get to hold on to the promise of God’s presence.

So friends, be strong and courageous, God’s presence has gone before you!

Ask and Believe

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. (Mark 11:24)

I love this verse taken from the gospel of Mark.  What an incredible promise it is to you and me.  And the context of this verse is pretty interesting.

The disciples were walking along with Jesus and stopped by a fig tree and noticed that it was withered at its roots but they also remembered that the day before, Jesus had cursed that very fig tree and said, “May it never bear fruit again”.

Now they were standing around looking at the tree and looking at Jesus and saying “Whoa.. Jesus, how did this happen? Look what you said, actually happened.”

And then Jesus makes an interesting turn, instead of talking about the horticultural issues, Jesus starts teaching about prayer.  At first glance as you read this you might wonder “Why is Jesus talking about prayer here, we were just talking about this poor dead tree?!”

Jesus says,  24 Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

What Jesus is trying to tell his disciples and us, is that the same power that made that happen to the tree is available to you and me through prayer. Just like that!

Jesus can change anything and anyone and that is what prayer is all about.

God wants to give us everything we need to live the life that he has called us to live. And Jesus want us to ask Him. Ask Jesus, in prayer, not just what we want but what we need so we can accomplish his purpose for our life.

Number one:  ASK. And then the other part is BELIEVE.

Believe not just in our ability but in God’s ability. Believe in the resources that are available to us through God. Believe that our Father is not empty handed. Believe that God wants to give us blessing upon blessing for God’s glory and power to be at work in our lives.

ASK and BELIEVE.

Let’s be a praying church. A believing church. A church that asks God to move in and through for God’s glory.

Let’s be bold and pray.  Pray for relationships to be restored; Pray for healing; Pray for those far away from God to discover the hope and peace that comes from knowing a Saviour; Pray that our pews at Amberlea would be full of people hungry to learn about our Amazing God; Pray that God may be glorified; and Pray for God’s power to be on the move in our community, in our city, in our province in or country and in the Church around the world!

Ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours!  Amen.

The total eclipse of the son

Whether you drove miles away or stayed in your neighbourhood; whether you stood outside with your protective glasses on or stayed indoors with the curtains shut… one way or another you experienced the solar eclipse on April 8th.

It’s been interesting to read the social media posts. After a quick perusal, my conclusion is that a solar eclipse, through fraught with complex physics and math, and even rich theological symbolism, beyond all that, those who witnessed the eclipse in its totality described it as the most beautiful natural phenomenon they’ve ever experienced.

And further, some would say that the existence of such beauty is one of the strongest arguments for the existence of a beautiful, glorious God.

Theologian and Oxford University academic John Owen wrote this in the 1600’s:

When the sun is under a total eclipse, it loses nothing of its native beauty, light, and glory. It is still the same that it was from the beginning, a “great light to rule the day.” To us it appears as a dark, useless meteor; but when it comes by its course to free itself from the lunar interposition, to its proper aspect towards us, it manifests again its native light and glory.

So was it with the divine nature of Christ, as we have before declared. He veiled the glory of it by the interposition of the flesh, or the assumption of our nature to be his own; with this addition, that he took on him the “form of a servant,” of a person of mean and low degree. But this temporary eclipse being past and over, it now shines forth in its infinite lustre and beauty, which belongs to the present exaltation of his person.

John Owen's comparison of the eclipse to the veiling and revelation of Christ's divine nature is thought-provoking. And perhaps it is not altogether surprising how a natural phenomena like an eclipse can inspire such profound theological contemplation.

This idea that beauty serves as evidence for the existence of a glorious Creator is echoed by theologians and philosophers throughout history. And it is a reminder to us to appreciate the wonders of the world around us and to find joy in recognizing the handiwork of a Holy God.

Whether you experienced the eclipse firsthand or not, the message to pause, and wonder, and find joy in the Divine should resonate with us all.

So don’t wait until the next total eclipse (2026 in Spain or 2144 in Ontario!) to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us, and to acknowledge the Creator behind it all.