Be Strong and Courageous: What Joshua 1:9 Really Means

God tells Joshua to be strong and courageous three times in the first nine verses of the book that bears his name. Three times. When someone repeats themselves like that, it's usually because they can see what you're about to walk into.

Most of us know Joshua 1:9 from a coffee mug or a locker poster: "Be strong and courageous." It's a great line. But pulled out on its own, it can sound like a pep talk. Chin up. Try harder. You've got this.

That's not what's happening in Joshua 1. Not even close. Let's look at the moment it was spoken, what the words mean, and why the most important part of the verse is the part we usually skip.

The moment behind Joshua 1:9

The book opens just after a death. "After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD," it begins (Joshua 1:1). Moses, who had led Israel out of Egypt, through the Red Sea and across forty years of wilderness, was gone. And Joshua, his longtime assistant, who had already been publicly commissioned to take over, now actually had to lead a whole nation.

Then God gives him his first assignment: "Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them" (verse 2). A couple of chapters later we learn the Jordan was at flood stage (Joshua 3:15). On the other side were walled cities and armies.

So picture it. New job. Huge shoes to fill. Grief still fresh. A river in flood in front of you and a whole nation watching to see what you'll do.

That's where this verse lands. Not in a classroom. On the eve of a river crossing.

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

The King James Version puts it a little differently: "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." That older phrase, "of a good courage," is the one on our tee, and I love how warm it sounds. Good courage. Not reckless courage. Good courage.

What "strong and courageous" actually means

Two Hebrew words sit underneath this phrase.

Here they simply mean be strong and be brave, but I like to picture it this way: get a grip, and set your heart. Either way, they don't describe a feeling. They describe a posture.

Here's the thing that took me years to see. God doesn't say "feel brave." He says "be strong." It's a command, which means it's something you can do even while you're scared. Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to move while your knees are still knocking.

Courage isn't the absence of fear. It's choosing to move while your knees are still knocking.

And notice what God doesn't say. He doesn't say "you'll be fine because you're capable." He doesn't list Joshua's strengths at all. Every reason He gives points back to Himself.

The part of the verse we usually skip

Read it again and look at the word "for."

"Be strong and courageous... for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

That one little word is the hinge of the whole verse. The courage isn't sourced in Joshua. It's sourced in the company he keeps. In effect, God is saying: you can be strong because I'm not leaving you.

Look back at verse 5 and you'll see the same promise: "As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you." Joshua had watched God be faithful to Moses for forty years. Now the same God was saying, I'm transferring that faithfulness to you.

That's what makes this verse so much more than a pep talk. A pep talk tells you to believe in yourself. Joshua 1:9 tells you to believe in the One who is with you.

Passed down like a baton

One of my favorite things about this phrase is how often it gets handed from one generation to the next in Scripture. Watch who says it to whom:

Isn't that beautiful? The same words travel from Moses to Joshua, from the people back to their leader, from Joshua to his commanders, from David to his son. Courage in the Bible is almost always borrowed and then handed on. Somebody said it to you, and one day you'll say it to someone else.

Maybe that's your job this week. Not just to be strong and courageous, but to say it to a friend who needs to hear it.

Where courage comes from (verse 8)

There's one more piece people tend to miss, and it's tucked right before our verse.

"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful" (Joshua 1:8).

So God gives Joshua two things to stand on: His presence (verse 9) and His Word (verse 8). Joshua didn't get a map of every battle ahead. He got a promise and a book. And it turned out that was enough.

Joshua's assignment was his own, and Joshua 1:8 isn't a promise that every job or plan of ours will succeed. But the pattern holds for us too: courage grows where God's presence is trusted and His words are kept close. If you'd like a few more to keep on your lips this season, these Bible verses about strength are a good place to start, and so is what "faith over fear" really means.

Joshua 1:9 for your actual life

Most of us aren't leading armies across rivers. But we do stand at the edge of things that scare us. Here's what "be strong and courageous" can look like on an ordinary week:

• The new job or first day. You walk in not knowing anyone. God is already in the building.
• The hard conversation. With your husband, your teenager, your boss. Courage is starting it kindly and not running from it.
• The diagnosis or the waiting room. You don't have to feel brave. You can grip His promise and set your heart, one appointment at a time.
• The move, the empty nest, the new season. Joshua's whole story is about entering unfamiliar ground. "Wherever you go" includes the zip code you don't know yet.
• The thing God's been nudging you toward. Leading the study. Starting the ministry. Making the call. Saying yes.

And if fear is louder than faith right now, that's okay. God didn't scold Joshua for needing to hear it three times. He just kept saying it. You might find some comfort in these verses for anxious hearts too.

A simple way to pray Joshua 1:9 this week

Try praying the verse back to God, a line at a time. Something like this:

Fill in the blanks honestly. Say it on the drive. Say it in the parking lot. Say it as many times as you need to. God said it to Joshua three times, after all.

The river is still there, and so is He

Here's how Joshua's story turned out. When the priests' feet touched the edge of that flooded river, the water stopped and the people crossed on dry ground (Joshua 3). God didn't part the river while they waited at a safe distance. He did it when they stepped in.

Your river may not part the way the Jordan did. God doesn't promise us that every hard thing ends the way we'd write it. What He does promise is Himself: "the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." Courage is taking the step He's asked of you and trusting that promise on the other side.

So whatever river is in front of you this week, you're not standing on the bank alone. Be strong. Be of good courage. If you'd like a reminder you can wear, browse our Joshua 1:9 shirts.

With love, Anna

P.S. Our Be Strong and of a Good Courage tee makes a great gift for someone starting something scary: a new school, a new job, a new treatment, a new city. Tuck a note in with it that says, "For the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.