Well, good morning. It's Saturday the 2nd of May and we're still on lockdown and still another little devotional to help us get through the day. Things in our world are still bleak and this virus is still taking a terrible toll on our countries and society. Please keep praying for the key workers on the front line. Please keep on praying for those vulnerable and at high risk and pray for those who have symptoms and maybe are in treatment so there's a lot to pray for. The authorities are worried that we ease the situation in the social distancing and that we'll have a second wave of the pandemic and it'll be back to square one again and all these things will come back to haunt us. And so we have to be careful. This morning for our devotional I want to bring you to just one verse in Deuteronomy 31. our government is talking about a new norm. When the virus passes, it is not going to be just back to the way things were before, but there'll be a new way of living. Maybe elements of social distancing will stay in place or maybe we'll have to wear masks when we're out. Time will tell just what that will mean. But change does not come easy and that's why we find isolation so hard. Change can bring loneliness, it can bring frustration if you're in with a young family and trying to keep them educated and amused and keep them busy. It also can bring uncertainty and fear and anxiety. And in Deuteronomy 31, Moses is coming to the end of his final speech to the nation of Israel after 40 years of wandering. And they face change now. They face a new norm. They face a new leader. They face a new country indeed when they get into the promised land. And it's a scary time for the people. They are used to Moses' leadership. They're not sure of Joshua, who was untested, more of a military figure to them. And they weren't sure if he would be able to rise up to the challenge, to stand in Moses' shoes. And so in verse six of Deuteronomy 31, Moses says this, be strong and of a good courage. Fear not, nor be afraid of them, for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee, he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. What a promise to people who were fearful and worried and anxious. Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them, For the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Three things in that verse. Be strong, don't fear, stay focused. Let's look at those for a moment or two. First of all, be strong. It says, be strong and of a good courage. Maybe today, like the children of Israel, you worry about the future. Maybe today, like the children of Israel, you feel that you're out of your depth. Maybe the Lord would whisper to you this morning as we start another day, be strong and of a good courage. He is able for all that you face today. He will take it all in his stride. Someone said to me some years ago, and I've always remembered it, if the mountain was smooth, you would not be able to climb it. And there's truth in that. Sometimes the mountain has to have the bumps. I think Warren Wearsby wrote a book years ago, the bumps are what you climb on. And so the mountain needs to have those bumps and those problems so we can climb it. Be strong. and of a good courage. That's lesson number one for you this morning, be strong and have a good courage. But secondly, don't fear. The verse says, fear not, nor be afraid of them. Fear does not give us strength for tomorrow, but it robs us of strength for today. I think the Ball Brothers sing a piece and one of the lines in it is, sometimes he calms the storm, other times he calms his child. And that's true, sometimes you keep on praying that God will calm the storm, but sometimes instead he lets the storm rage and he calms you and I in the midst of the storm. E. Stanley Jones was a Methodist American missionary to India, died back in 1973 I think, but he on one occasion said this, fear is the sand in the machinery of life. It clogs it up, means it doesn't work properly. Fear is the sand in the machinery of life. So don't fear, God has it under control. So be strong, be strong and have a good courage. Don't fear, fear not, nor be afraid of them. But then thirdly, stay focused. For the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Keep your eyes on him. You know whenever God gave us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit, He didn't just give us a helper, He certainly did do that, but it wasn't just a helper. He didn't just give us a comforter, He gave Himself. He walks with me, He talks with me, He tells me that I am His own and the joy that we share as we tarry there none other has ever known. Be strong this morning and have a good courage. Don't fear, fear not, nor be afraid of them. All the things that will come in, all the problems that arise, all the difficulties that seem insurmountable, don't fear. And then thirdly, stay focused. For the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee. He will not fail thee nor forsake thee. Have a good day. And tomorrow I'll be in the pulpit in Bali on my own. I trust you'll be able to tune in. Let's pray together. Our Father, at the start of this day we pause to meditate on thee. Father, we do thank you that you're our heavenly Father. Our faith, our trust, our confidence is in thee. And our Father, we pray that you will help us today, like the children of Israel so long ago, that we will be strong, that we will not fear, and that we will stay focused on the one who loved us and the one who died for us. Father, be near to those who are on the front line today, maybe getting ready to go out to do a shift. Father, we pray that you'll protect them, watch over them, give them wisdom, we pray. Father, we think of those who are on the other side of that care and maybe in a bed or a ventilator. Father, we pray that your touch will be their portion, that you will be their strength today. that they will know that round about and underneath are your everlasting arms. Father, be with our families. Father, undertake for them. We pray you'll put a hedge, a shield, a protection around them. Father, we do think of homes this week that have been bereaved and we pray for them and that heartache and that pain that is their portion today. Father, we pray that you'll draw near as the great burden bearer. that Father you will comfort and that you will strengthen. So our Father, we just commit ourselves afresh to thee, thanking you for the work of Calvary, thanking you for the blood of the Lamb that was slain, thanking you that through him we have redemption from our sin. Father, we commit this day to thee. Bless each one for Christ's sake.