Courage · 7 days
Courage
God goes with you, even before the fear goes away.
Who it’s for
Seven Bible stories for facing fear with God’s presence.
- Anxiety and peace — Cast your cares, trust and rest in God.
- Starting over — Let go of the weight and begin again with God.
- For women — Healing, courage and closeness to God, day by day.
- Young adults — Identity, purpose and courage for your generation.
What you’ll grow in
How the journey is organized
- Day 1Facing the riverJoshua 1:9
- Day 2For such a time as thisEsther 4:14Available in the app
- Day 3But if notDaniel 3:17-18Available in the app
- Day 4They had been with JesusActs 4:13Available in the app
- Day 5Whom shall I fear?Psalms 27:1Available in the app
- Day 6Stirring up the ember2 Timothy 1:7Available in the app
- Day 7By the right handIsaiah 41:13Available in the app
Day 1 · Facing the river
Today’s reading: Joshua 1:1-11
1Now after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, 2“Moses my servant is dead. Now therefore arise, go across this Jordan, you and all these people, to the land which I am giving to them, even to the children of Israel. 3I have given you every place that the sole of your foot will tread on, as I told Moses. 4From the wilderness and this Lebanon even to the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your border. 5No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you. 6“Be strong and courageous; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7Only be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you. Don’t turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. 8This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. 9Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.” 10Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying, 11“Pass through the middle of the camp, and command the people, saying, ‘Prepare food; for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which Yahweh your God gives you to possess.’”
Joshua 1:1-11 · World English Bible
Haven’t I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be dismayed, for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.
Context
Moses had died, and the people were camped east of the Jordan River, facing a land that still had to be taken. Joshua, who had served as Moses’ assistant for decades, receives the leadership at a time of grief and uncertainty. God repeats the same command three times, be strong and courageous, and ties that courage to two things: his presence and faithfulness to the law he had given through Moses.
Fear is not a lack of faith. It is a human reaction to what is too big, too new, or too uncertain. This seven-day journey doesn’t promise that fear will disappear. It wants to show, through real stories from the Bible, that God goes with you even before the fear goes away. The heroes of the Bible weren’t fearless people; they were people who trusted God while afraid.
Joshua had every reason to be afraid. The great leader Moses had died. The people were many and difficult. On the other side of the river stood fortified cities. And now the responsibility was his. He could no longer lean on Moses’ experience. It’s no accident that God repeats the same command three times: be strong and courageous. No one needs to hear that three times unless they are afraid.
Notice the reason God gives. It isn’t “you’re capable” or “believe in yourself.” It is: the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Biblical courage isn’t born of confidence in ourselves, but of certainty about who goes with us. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Joshua didn’t need to be Moses; he only needed to know that the same God was with him.
God also ties courage to his Word. Joshua was to meditate on the law day and night and not turn aside from it. That matters: courage isn’t an impulse to do just anything. It is the steadiness to do what is right, even when afraid. Sometimes courage is crossing the river; sometimes it is saying no; sometimes it is simply carrying on.
Maybe you are facing your own Jordan: a frightening new beginning, a new responsibility, a conversation you’ve put off, a change you can no longer avoid. God doesn’t ask you to pretend you aren’t afraid. He asks you not to let fear have the last word. Courage, here, is obeying with trembling legs.
Today, give your fear a name. Then read Joshua 1:9 aloud and remember that this presence isn’t distant: he is with you here, now, in this situation. And take a step, however small, toward what God is asking of you.
To reflect onJoshua’s courage didn’t come from himself, but from the One who went with him. What river lies before you today?
To live it today
- Write in one sentence the fear that weighs most on you today and, underneath, copy Joshua 1:9. Read it aloud before you go to sleep.
- Take a small, concrete step today toward what you have been putting off out of fear.
More questions
- What is the Jordan in front of you right now, and what exactly do you fear on the other side?
- Who near you is starting something difficult and needs to hear that they are not alone?
Prayer
Praise
God of Joshua, you are the same God who went with Moses and who goes with me today. I praise you because your presence doesn’t depend on my feeling strong.
Surrender
I hand over to you my fear, without pretending it isn’t there. I hand over what lies on the other side of the river, what I don’t know, and what I can’t control.
Petition
Be with me wherever I go. Keep me rooted in your Word, so that my courage is obedience and not impulse. Give me strength for today’s step.
To memorize
As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not fail you nor forsake you.
Read also: Deuteronomy 31:6-8 · Joshua 1:16-18 · Psalms 56:3
Continue in the app: days 2 to 7
Each day brings a reading, a devotional, a guided prayer, a journal question and a verse to memorize. Pick up where you left off.
Annual plan with a 7-day free trial.
Keep exploring
Bible verses on this theme
Other journeys
- Peace in the midst of anxiety 14 days
- Life with God 21 days
- Learning to Pray: The Lord’s Prayer 7 days
- Preparing for Communion 1 day
- The Armor of God 7 days
- A Week with Your Church 7 days
For your everyday
Scripture on this page: World English Bible (public domain). How we write the journeys