Moses My Servant Is Dead

Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. (Joshua 1:1-3)

Joshua just lost the man who'd led him for decades. Moses was gone. And God didn’t wait around for a period of grieving before He spoke. He got right to it: “Moses is dead. Get up. Cross the river. There's a land waiting, and it's not going to wait forever.”

Imagine the loss that Joshua was experiencing. This wasn’t just a transition, but the loss of his mentor and leader. Moses was the one he looked to for support and direction. Losing someone like that is difficult for us in the flesh, but we still must move forward. God doesn't stop moving His plan forward just because you're still processing what just ended. Grief is real, and it deserves its time, but at some point, there's still a Jordan River in front of you that must be crossed, and people are waiting on you to walk in your calling.

Notice that God didn’t hand Joshua a battle plan at this moment. He told him to get up and go. Sometimes the instruction really is that simple, even when the assignment ahead feels enormous. Move first, do something in faith, and follow God into what He is asking you to do in the moment. The details will come later.

Practical Application

If you've been stuck grieving something that has ended, ask God today what the next step forward looks like for you, and take it.

Deuteronomy 31:7; Philippians 3:13