In reading the Book of Joshua for my personal Bible study today, I was in a very familiar passage. However, in light of yesterday’s somber post, I was thinking of how this Scripture relates to the quandary many teachers face in the classroom relative to safety.
Right after Moses died, Joshua received some promises from God. God promised His provision, His protection and His presence to Joshua. God directs Joshua in his thought process as well as in his actions. Joshua 1:5 states, ” There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” God’s presence would be with him, and He would not let Joshua down. In my classroom, because I am His child, God’s presence is always with me. I know He will not fail me as I work to educate my classes, and as I consider providing wise protection to them while they are at school. God will be with me if a shooting or weather system causes us to go into lockdown.
God directed Joshua’s thoughts. “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thous shalt mediate therein day and not, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein; for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.” Whether I’m dealing with students who are rebellious or disruptive or difficult or whether I’m dealing with a scary situation, I need to be concentrating on God’s Word. Fear can not be an option for me. “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord they God is with thee withersoever thou goest.” God gives us His promise that if we focus on His Word, we will find His direction and presence in all of these circumstances.
Verse 11 finds Joshua passing the word along to his fellow workers. Get ready, get prepared, because we are going to possess the land. I find such encouragement in this idea. We that are believers should focus on the Word, prepare what we can, and trust that God will be with us as we go to possess the land, so to speak. One of my favorite phrases is “mighty men of valour”. God will be with us and empower us to know what to do if the time arises. What a comfort when facing active shooter drills or tornado drills to know that we can keep calm because His presence goes before us.
Because I have liberty to encourage students to consider God’s promises, I remind them that God’s presence is with us. We don’t need to fear any person because His peace and protection is with us.
For my friends in the public school setting, I know that you can not teach your students about Joshua. However, you know about Joshua. You have His protection and power with you.
By no means am I saying bad things can’t happen to Christians. We know the rain falls on the just and unjust. However, I am saying that if God is with us, we know He will guide us in the worst circumstance and be with us in every situation.
The prevention of reading and focusing on Scripture is definitely not worse than the cure. I challenge you to memorize a Scripture every week. Let’s stand firm, not cower in fear.
First published 3/24/19
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