Benjamin Franklin famously, and humorously, said, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” Another saying, playing off the Franklin quip, said, “Only three things in life are certain: birth, death, and change.” These sayings are not exactly correct, but it’s pretty certain that most things in life are uncertain. Another way of saying it is that most things change. Change is inevitable. Most people do not like change unless it is beneficial to them personally. Certain kinds of change are really hard. We often struggle with change because it can be uncomfortable and scary. In every change we experience, there is a transition from the old to the new. Transitions can be hard too, and we can get stuck in them. We can think about transitions as a hallway between two rooms. To get from the room of the old to the room of the new, we must travel the hallway of transition. We don’t want to be stuck in the hall. That’s why some people would rather stay in the old room than go to the new room, even though the new room is best and necessary.
We find the idea of transitions throughout the Bible. One important place we see it is in the first chapter of the book of Joshua. Moses is gone. The Lord has taken him. Joshua had been Moses’ right-hand man for many years. He was comfortable with that arrangement. Now the Lord is calling Joshua to take the mantle of leadership over the children of Israel that Moses had carried for so long. The first task Joshua must navigate is leading the people of God into the promised land. It often happens that the first guy to succeed a great leader usually fails. Because of this, the Lord appears to Joshua to encourage him and to call him to courage.
“No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous, for you shall cause this people to inherit the land that I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:5-9)
We notice several things about what the Lord says to Joshua. First, the Lord commands Joshua three times to be strong and courageous. This is obviously a key point and a key attitude for Joshua to maintain. Second, the Lord commands Joshua to give himself in obedience to the Word of God, the Law of Moses. Success only happens in obedience to God’s Word. Third, the Lord commands Joshua to fear not. Fear is a natural reaction to change that requires great responsibility. These were three keys to Joshua’s success and three keys to our success in the transitions of change that we face.
What is God saying to us in this amazing passage about our struggles with change and the pain of finding ourselves stuck in the transition? Sometimes change presents itself, and we can choose to go with the change or refuse to do so. But just as often, and maybe more so, change thrusts itself on us, and we have no choice in the matter. We have to navigate and even battle the transition from the old reality to the new reality. Let’s think about three great truths that can help us not only survive but thrive in the tough times when change unsettles our world.
God has a Wonderful Plan for your Life
God had a plan for Joshua’s life even before the exit of Moses. Joshua was doing well in God’s plan as Moses’ right-hand man. But now the plan changed. Joshua must be the leader. That was God’s plan for him. God has a plan for us too. God’s plan is not to give us all we want but to bring us into a relationship with him. God’s plan is also to equip us and send us to be on a mission with him in the redemption of the world, and in so doing, our lives display the praises of his glory. The changes, as painful as they may be, are for our good and for his glory in fulfilling his plan.
God Promises to Be With Us in the Transition
The Lord promised Joshua that he would be with him in the mission to which he called Joshua. If one reads the rest of the book of Joshua, one will find that the Lord was faithful to his promise. He was with Joshua in every situation. Most of those situations were, in fact, not easy and were very challenging. But the Lord was always with him to see him through. He never left him or abandoned him. This is a promise that applies to us too. God promises that he will be with us. He will never leave us or forsake us. We can trust him.
There are several kinds of transitions of change we can face. First, there may be a transition in our occupation. There may be a change from one job to another or from one field to another. There is also the change from work to retirement. We may have no choice in the change. In these moments, God proves to be our rock. He stabilizes us as we trust in him.
Second, there may be a change in an important relationship. The change may be through conflict, or through an amiable separation, or through death. These relational changes can be very difficult. In relational changes especially, people get stuck in the transition. We can find it hard to move on when a relationship changes in some way. This is where people sometimes experience bitterness. But God promises to be with us in these transitions.
Third, there may be a change in our health or the health of someone we love. These kinds of changes and the transitions they inevitably cause are often difficult to handle. We are used to good health and the freedom and independence it offers, but a change in health can take all that away from us. Navigating those restrictions is challenging, to say the least. These are a few of the kinds of changes we face. There are many others. But God does promise to be with us in them all.
Faithfulness to Obey Brings Strength & Courage to be Successful
When we face change, and the struggle of transition, what we face has purpose. God is at work in our lives. He is up to something in every situation we experience. He has our good in mind. Our responsibility is to be faithful to obey his word. Obeying the word of God when life is hard is itself hard. Our instincts and desires seek equilibrium. Change can produce instability, which is the opposite of equilibrium. Obedience keeps us focused on God and keeps us moving in the right direction. Staying connected to God through his word brings spiritual strength and spiritual courage for what we are facing.
Change and the transitions it brings can be unpleasant or even challenging. It can create stress and strain in our hearts and minds and in our relationships. Dealing with these troubling situations means trusting God in them. Faith can calm our hearts and give us direction for the path ahead. Life is not always smooth in a broken world. God is with us, and he is working out his plan in and through our lives, even in our struggles with the changes he brings our way.