How to Find Joy When the Life You Have Is Not the Life You Hoped ForSample

Stop #3: Faith

Joshua spent his whole life hearing the truth about God and stories of God's continual love and faithfulness for him and Israel. He knew what it was like to live in slavery and he knew what it was like to be free. Joshua had spent forty years in the wilderness helping Moses lead Israel. He had always been able to rely upon Moses, benefiting from his constant leadership and guidance. But things were different now. Moses was gone, and the future of Israel was in the hands of Joshua.

Following God’s commands, Joshua would have to make the necessary tactical decisions to get everyone across the river and give those directions to the twelve tribes of Israel. Under his leadership, TWO MILLION people — men, women, and children — would walk from one side of the river to the other. If at any point Joshua failed, people could die. Needless to say, the stakes were high.

His was a future that included an uncharted path to a sure goal. God, in His sovereignty, would ensure that Israel would take over the land they had been promised. But God did not present Joshua with the exact steps of how that would happen. He told him where he was going, how he needed to stay on track, and promised to be with him the whole way. That’s it.

So, for Joshua to accomplish his purpose he would need to step out into the unknown. By faith, Joshua needed to use all that God had given him to pursue the future goal God had promised him. But his ability to walk in faith would be supported by two important characteristics: sheer determination and courage.

More often than not, our belief in Jesus will require us to do something based upon an incomplete set of information. Simply put, God rarely gives us all the details. He will ask us to put aside our need to know or understand everything and just live as if what he said was true. No matter how hard I ask for the details, and I’ve asked plenty of times, God has routinely made the mission clearer as I’ve gone along.

Walking in faith is beautiful and hard. Living based upon the truth of God’s character and our identity can be exhilarating because we are part of a larger story. We have to learn how to tell the time in light of where Scripture says we exist in the bigger story of God’s work in the world. For instance, it's not just Thursday; it's Thursday in redemptive history, in a story where Jesus came but has not yet returned.2

As we wait on His return we embrace the life we have been given. We walk forward in faith knowing that when we get weary, determination and courage will be there to hold our arms up.

Fueled by God Himself, this powerful duo helps us to push past any obstacles we might encounter as we fight to achieve the goal that God has set before us. Because ultimately, like Joshua, we can only walk in faith while being “strong and courageous” because the Lord our God is with us wherever we go.