This is raw. It requires more time to refine this article, but I don't have such pleasure. One hour more, and we will have a prayer meeting. I got sidetracked in my preparation because of financial matters: checking the details of GCash transactions for the whole of 2024, scanning the Statement of Accounts of the school's peso account, and scanning both the passbooks of Land Bank and the BPI USD account of the school.
It's good that our maintenance asked me if we have a prayer meeting. I stopped what I was doing and started writing this article.
Joshua 1:1-9
Our chapel service here is twice a week. The text this morning is Joshua 1:1-6. However, I feel uneasy about cutting verses 7 to 9, so I think it is better to take the whole passage from verses 1 to 9.
Our chaplain announces his title, Courage to Conquer. Yes, the theme of courage is clear in the passage, but this is only evident in verses 6 to 9. The most important thing is to discern the central idea of the passage and how it relates to our time.
Leadership Transition: Joshua’s Challenge
As for me, the central idea is about the Lord's word for a new leader in a time of leadership transition. Moses was dead. Typically, such a time is critical. How can Joshua respond to such a challenge?
Except for Joshua and Caleb, all Jews of Moses' generation did not enter the Promised Land. They died in the wilderness. That generation, despite seeing the powerful hand of God displayed in the judgment of Egypt to deliver them from slavery, still insisted on their rebellious ways.
If Moses, a great leader, failed to lead his generation to the Promised Land, how could Joshua, his successor, be able to accomplish what his senior failed to do?
A time of leadership transition is very risky and uncertain. This could be an opportunity to climb new heights or to maintain the mindset of business as usual.
Leadership Transition in Modern Times
Let us observe the current politics in the US right now as an example. Donald Trump is the new president of the USA. Will he settle down with the status quo just to keep the peace and cause no commotion? Or will he implement what he promised during campaign period?
Many are not happy with what Elon Musk is doing in DOGE. Many complain that he is the real president and not Trump. They criticized both Trump and Musk's recent actions as unconstitutional. They talked about protocol, but nobody appreciated the anomalies and corruption that have been exposed related to USAID (except, of course, the majority of the American public, I suppose).
Though there are differences between Joshua's time and the current situation in American politics, I see one common thing. Both are in a period of transition, and both leaders are facing great challenges of their times.
Challenges of Transition and Crisis
The US is not only undergoing a leadership transition; this great country is also in crisis. There are diverse causes for the current crisis, but I think government overreach and the "me culture" play a big role in this crisis. How should a new leader respond to these challenges? Will he linger in fear, passivity, lack of vision, weakness, and defeat? Or will he glory in self-confidence, arrogance, pride, and an all-knowing attitude?
Surely, a new leader needs guidance in a time of transition and crisis. Where shall he get that guidance? In Joshua's case, there was a clear word from the Lord. This word guided Joshua to lead and govern the new generation of the Jews that will possess the Promised Land.
Key Takeaways for Leaders Today
Applying this insight to our time, what message do new leaders need to hear from the Lord in times of transition and crisis?
Due to time constraints, I cannot give an elaborate response to the above question. I can only provide a general answer that needs deeper reflection.
In times of transition and crisis, new leaders need to prepare to execute the plan of God.
The particular plan that Joshua must accomplish during his time was to cross the Jordan River and to possess the Promised Land. The Jordan River was the great obstacle for the Joshua generation to claim the promise of God. What specific barriers must leaders today overcome to accomplish what God intended for them? What specific preparation leaders today must do in an era of government overreach and a culture that is too preoccupied with themselves? These are not easy questions to answer.
In times of transition and crisis, new leaders are given assurance of victory as long as the presence of God is with them.
In a generation ruled by naturalists, the idea of God's presence is interpreted in different ways. Some see "the presence of God" as a psychological, emotional, and moral insight. It is something subjective. Others view this from a neurological perspective. Still others consider such language as symbolic, representing ideals like love, justice, or moral order. A pantheistic interpretation would view "God" as identical to the universe itself; thereby, experiencing his presence would mean a delightful encounter with nature. All these schools of thought agree on one thing. Supernatural doesn't exist, and there is no identity known to man as a literal and personal God described in the Judeo-Christian perspective. If the above philosophies that deny the existence of the God of the Bible are taken as the source for guidance in leadership, no wonder such leadership will just move in a cycle of defeat and critical negativity.
In times of transition and crisis, new leaders must be strong and courageous.
What is the meaning of strength and courage in times when statist ideas reign? As I reflect on this question, I struggle to reconcile the claims of activists today fighting for social justice, and yet they seem to be oblivious when it comes to government interference in the most basic governments of men, such as self, domestic, and ecclesiastical. They don't see it as a threat to both justice and freedom.
Strength and courage in a highly politicized civilization would mean engaging in a battle where the enemy is attacking at the moment. The great issue of today in politics is the issue of sovereignty. Is Jesus the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and therefore the King and Lord of all aspects of life? Or is the state the true sovereign? The response to this question will determine whether we will see the land of the free. Or the land of slavery and tyranny?
The strength and courage of those who claim to follow Christ are proven in the raging battle of today, in the field of economics and finance, where lawful plunder is widespread and considered the norm.