**today’s post was written in a different season but still applicable**
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord is with you wherever you go." (Joshua 1:9 NASB!1995)
This is the YouVersion verse of the day. It’s familiar, even mostly memorized in a variety of translations. But this morning the word ‘dismayed’ caught my heart and I googled it before I got out of bed.
dismay: consternation and distress, typically caused by something unexpected.
I did a double take right there on my pillow. Consternation is a dead word – all but abandoned by the modern era. But I had used it specifically before bed to express my frustration with work to my husband. God reads our mail and, for me, it’s typically through scripture.
It occurred to me this morning, in the light of a new day, that I’m dealing with a ‘more bricks, less straw’ situation at my place of employment. I can lose my peace (honestly, I did take a long walk at the start yesterday’s shift to cool down) or I can trust that God is at work outside of my periphery.
The beautiful truth of this scripture passage is summed up in five words. WYWYG. “with you wherever you go.” God goes with believers to work, whether that’s morally wobbly work places with grasping task-masters or ethical work places with honest people. WYWYG. God is with us wherever we go. He is faithful to dole out the necessary strength for us to serve and the power to hold our peace even when management continually moves the marker.
I wrote it on my hand like a middle schooler so I could remember it when I get to work. 🙂
I am reminded dad after day, even though this is a season of punching a secular clock, I still work for the Lord. One of the way I can serve Him in my workplace is in holding my peace when demands expand. He is with us wherever we go.
"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord whom you serve." (Colossians 3:23-24 NASB1995)
Lord, today we are grateful that You read our mail. It’s comforting to know You are in our corner, fighting behind the scenes for us. Give us strength and peace when the markers move. Help us serve You in secular circumstances as heartily as we would in divine service. Bolster our faith as we stand for You in an increasingly pagan society. May we keep these five words in the forefront of our heart today: with us wherever we go. Amen.