THE DEEP END
Micah Smith
Today's Scripture: "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9, ESV
Theme: Even when we face anxieties and fears, God promises to be with us.
HOPE YOU CAN SWIM!
One of the top fears for many adults is public speaking. We go through school anxiously sweating through three-to-five-minute presentations like we just delivered a State of the Union address. Some of you are getting sweaty palms just thinking about those moments again! That was me. Except my first job out of school was as a "technical instructor"—teaching people how to install, customize, test, and implement software.
It wasn’t exactly the job I dreamed of as a kid, but it was the first company that offered me a job remotely close to my area of study. I was young and hadn't truly thought through what I'd signed up for. Onboarding was great—I would attend courses that OTHER instructors were leading so I could learn the software and how to manage a class of working professionals. I'd slowly ramp up, teaching just 20-30-minute segments at a time until I could deliver the full 35-hour training courses. (If your palms weren't sweating yet, they may be starting now...)
So, I traveled to San Francisco to deliver my first co-taught training. My first 20 minutes were ROUGH. I was teaching the developer course—the hardest of the courses we offered—sweating profusely, pretty much reading directly from the slides, hoping no one asked questions. Day One: survived. Day Two started strong (because I didn't have to speak) until my co-teacher got a call that his wife had just gone into labor. I would be left to deliver Days Two through Five completely on my own.
Never in my life have I felt as anxious as I felt in that moment. New job, just moved to San Diego, new car payment... and now I had to stand up in front of 20 of our top customers to go through 25 more hours of content over the next three and a half days. Don't they know who they hired? Why am I doing this? I barely know this stuff myself! Every self-doubt and anxious thought crept in all at once. (Mind you, the entire class ALSO knew I didn't know what I was doing because I was introduced as the guy who's still learning to be a technical instructor.)
It's amazing how vividly you remember certain moments in your life. I remember shakily finishing that day, going back to my hotel room to read over the next day's content, practice all the labs, and quite literally praying and crying out to God for help. I can still picture that hotel room with my laptop and workbooks scattered everywhere as I begged God for any way out. I wanted to quit. I wanted to be mad at my employer for putting me in this position. Instead, I chose to trust who God says He is—despite how I felt in that moment.
PRESENCE, NOT PERFORMANCE
In Joshua 1, Moses had just died. The Israelites—who'd been led out of Egypt by Moses—were now under the leadership of Joshua, Moses's assistant, appointed to lead them into the Promised Land. New leader, new phase, new gig. Joshua was 1000% feeling the weight of leadership, stepping into massive shoes (sandals?) he was to fill after God had used Moses to lead Israel for 40 years. And Joshua was about to lead Israel into battle to claim their Promised Land.
Our verse for today, Joshua 1:9, isn't random encouragement—it's reinforcement in a moment of immense responsibility. In fact, God repeats this command to Joshua three times: verses 6, 7, and 9. Even the people echo it back to him in verse 18. Why the repetition? Because even Joshua—who'd been Moses's right-hand man and witnessed God's miracles firsthand—needed to hear it again and again: God's presence is enough.
Notice what God doesn't promise Joshua: He doesn't promise easy victories, flawless leadership, or that Joshua will suddenly feel qualified. He promises His presence. "The Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
God showed me in that week that the only way out was through—and He was with me. Did the rest of the week go great? I'd love to tell you I became a world-class speaker, and everyone wept with appreciation when the class ended. But that's not what happened. What did happen was God set in motion things I couldn't have imagined. God didn't remove my fear or make me suddenly competent—He just promised to be with me. And in His presence, fumbling through slides and sweating through labs, somehow became the foundation for opportunities I never saw coming.
Two people in that class worked for the FBI. Despite me stumbling through content and getting stuck on lab errors, they appreciated that I took time after class to help them troubleshoot. They recommended their colleagues take my courses months later—once I'd had more practice and was getting better at speaking for a full day. Those colleagues took BOTH of my classes once I was finally hitting my stride, and word spread around their department that I knew my stuff. Eventually, they opened a role and requested I come work for them in Virginia... but we'll save that part for another devotional.
Make it Personal: What's your hotel room moment right now? Where are you begging God for a way out instead of trusting Him to be present in the hard thing? God's promise isn't that you'll suddenly feel brave or competent—it's that He'll be with you. And sometimes, His presence in your fumbling becomes the exact thing He uses for purposes you can't yet see.
Pray: Father, thank You that Your presence is enough—even when I don't feel strong or courageous. Help me trust who You are, not how I feel. When I'm overwhelmed by anxiety, self-doubt, or fear, remind me that You haven't promised to remove the hard thing, but You have promised to be with me in it. Give me the courage to take the next step, trusting that You're already there. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
Read: Joshua 1:1-18, Deuteronomy 31:6-8
Weekly Memory Verse: “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7, NIV