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Be strong and courageous
These next few blogs are going to be a mini-series on the book of Joshua. There will be something for the whole family to reflect on and some craft and activity suggestions for kids to do too.
Joshua is one of my favourite books of the bible and it contains one of my favourite verses which is “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 1:9).
When reading this it brought me comfort because in this lock down season, we are in I haven’t felt very courageous or strong at times. But the part of the verse that really stood out to me was; Do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. He is with you and me wherever we go, he is with us right now.
Maybe for a minute if you are reading this on your own or with your children, you could just take a moment to remind yourself that God is with you whatever you are doing right now and he is with you on the good days and the bad days.
Joshua is a great book of the bible because Joshua is the leader that comes after Moses and he has taken on a huge responsibility. Maybe you feel like you have taken on a lot right now becoming a home-school teacher and working from home, adjusting to how life has changed.
The Israelites, God’s chosen people, had been wandering round the desert for forty years and they were so close to the promised land. We have been in this lockdown for four weeks and at times it has felt like a lot longer and it feels like it might never end.
Before exploring some of the story we find in Joshua, you could explore some of the books before this like Exodus and Numbers.
The thing that is true about the 40 years that they wandered around the desert, and what is true for us now, is that God provided for them and was with them and this true for us, God is providing for us and is with us. It might feel like we are wandering in a desert like situation, but God is with you.
I don’t want to spoil the end of the story of Joshua so carry on following these blogs. And we will see the constant throughout the story is God.
Why not explore Joshua 1 and Joshua 2.
Here is a video of the story we find in Joshua 2; it is a great one for kids to watch:
In Joshua chapter 2 we see that Joshua has sent two spies to go into the promised land to check it out. They came across a woman, who isn’t an Israelite, but she knows God will protect her and Israelites.
It’s a great story, it shows the Israelites are one step closer to the promised land and God is guiding them every step of the way. God is guiding us throughout our situations and the circumstances we find ourselves in.
Activities
Things needed:
Two toilet rolls- empty
Glue
Pens
Items to decorate
To help the children remember the story in Joshua 2 you could make some binoculars to help remember that the spies went in and explored the promised land.
Things needed:
Footprints template
Pens
Scissors
Paper
Why don’t you find some paper and draw round one of your feet, once you have done this cut around the outline.
You could draw round one foot of each family member, then draw or write prayers on the footprints for God to guide you during this season.
Hope you find this an encouraging blog and remember Joshua 1:9
Love
Lauren