“No Worries! The God Who Is Both Leader and Companion!”
Most of us are afraid of the future, to a greater or lesser extent. Some of us are so prone to fear that we even fear the past. (We don’t usually think of fearing the past, but that is only because we call our fear of the past “regret.”) And, frankly, the present can also be pretty intimidating.
That doesn’t leave a lot of time to not be afraid, does it?
There is a sense in which every day is terra incognito. A saying (attributed to various people) goes something like this: “Most things are hard to predict—especially things in the future.” That lack of knowing what will in happen in any given day is pretty intimidating.
Humankind has struggled with such fears for a very long time. It may be more intense these days, but I doubt it. Times change, but our fear of the changing times does not.
Certainly, this was a struggle throughout the ancient Near East. The Bible has a lot of “fear nots,” which suggests that there was a lot of fear coursing through the veins of ancient Israel.
The book of Deuteronomy is attributed to Moses, and is his last will and testament. He is speaking to the nation of Israel which is just about to enter the Promised Land. Moses repeatedly tells the people that he will not be going in. The land and the future are terra incognito. However, Moses assures them that God will go ahead of them, and that they don’t need to be afraid.
“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” (Deuteronomy 31:8, New Living Translation)
I looked at the Hebrew for this verse. It is interesting that the personal pronoun “he” is used a couple of times, even though it is not, strictly speaking, necessary. Apparently, Moses wanted to be very emphatic in pointing out that God Himself would go ahead of the people.
But this verse tells Israel that God will not only go ahead of them. God will also go with them.
It’s a wonderful picture: the God who goes before us and who goes with us. God goes before in order to lead the way, but God also keeps us company, as we go.
I have to say, in all honesty, I have a difficult time believing that most of the time. However, when I do believe it, I can face the unknown territory of the past, the present, and the future a lot more calmly.
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