WHAT MORE CAN I SAY? -- Devotional for July 28, from "Good Seeds"

The Lord said to Joshua, “Moses, My servant, is dead. But for you and your people, life goes on, and as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. Please know that I will never leave you nor forsake you. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:1,2,5,9)

What do we do when someone great in our life dies? Well, we certainly grieve the loss of any loved one, but when it is our mentor, or hero, the loss goes deeper than grief. It feels like a part of us has died as well, and we are emasculated: bereft of skills and tools, drained of life and energy, as if these things were ours only while we were connected to our living hero – and now, he’s gone. This is God’s opportunity to remind us our strength can never be rooted in our fellow man, for God alone is the “fount of every blessing.” Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh describes himself as having “talent on loan from God.” His arrogant tone veils the truth of what he says, for is not God the only source of any good thing we are or have? To claim that our goodness is rooted in our own greatness is foolish conceit to the max. But to lean on others for our strength is just as wrong – and risky. Indeed, we are jeopardizing their continued life on earth when we put them on such a pedestal, for God “will not share His glory with another” (Isaiah 42:8), and He will go to the greatest length to teach us that we must depend on Him and Him alone. It was when Isaiah’s hero, King Uzziah, fell into sin and died that Isaiah “saw the Lord, high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:1). And it was when another man who was larger than life to millions, Moses, came to the end of his days that his protégé, Joshua, began to hear the voice and follow the leading of the Lord. This is not to say he wasn’t terrified to go it alone, apart from his master, in leading the unruly Israelites. But for our sakes we can be glad for his fears, for otherwise we would not have these powerful words of encouragement that can properly be applied to anyone who loves the Lord but fears the future. To get through our grief we must face facts. God is brutally blunt, to the point of near disrespect to this superman (to man) and super-servant (to God). But how else does one say it: “Moses is dead. His body is gone – I buried him Myself in an unmarked grave in the wilderness – but his memory, it seems, lives on, to the point of dismaying your heart and stalling your progress. Get over him, Josh! You’re a great man, too, but to get on with life you must deal with your fear. You have no less than Moses had – you have ME! As I was with him, so will I be with you. What else can I say to cheer you up, man?” What else indeed, Christian friend today?