“Moses, my servant is dead!” This was not news to Joshua, for they had mourned Moses’ death for thirty days. But it was a proclamation to Joshua. A proclamation to stop mourning what was and to anticipate what was about to come.
Moses had lead well. The Bible tells us there had never been a prophet like Moses who God knew faced to face, or who had performed the miracles Moses performed. Even at 120, Moses was in good health and was still leading the people well. But God decided, this season had ended and it was time for a new season to begin. Joshua was clinging to an old season, a season God had sovereignly declared was over.
Are you clinging to an old season, longing for the good old days? Has God called you to move forward but you want what was? How do we move forward?
1. Mourn. The ending of a season brings feelings of loss, sometimes hurt, and often confusion. We ask why. It can feel like a death. Therefore it’s okay to mourn. The children of Israel wept for Moses 30 days. Do not hide your loss. Find a way to process it. Mourn the end of a season.
2. Accept. God’s declaration to Joshua that, “Moses my servant is dead,” was God way of saying, “It’s time to accept a new season has begun. It’s a time to move forward.” When we try to hold onto what was good, we miss what is better on our journey to what is best.
3. Anticipate. You can’t drive by constantly looking in the rear view mirror. I’ll never forget when I was mourning the loss of a season, God spoke to me through the song writer Billy Joel. He said, “The good old days weren’t always good and tomorrow ain’t as bad as it seems.” Get excited about the new season God is bringing you into. He leads us from glory to glory to glory.
4. Move forward. God said to Joshua, “Go!”. Keep moving toward your destiny. God was taking the children of Israel to the promised land. Moses’ death did not alter the promise. Moses had a pastor’s heart. They needed a warrior’s Heart to lead them into the promised land. This new season was needed to take them where God had promised. The new season God has you in is not a punishment but is necessary to lead you into your promised land.
Friends, embrace the new season God has prepared for you. Yes, it is scary. Yes, it is confusing. Yes, it’s uncomfortable. But heed the words of song writer Israel Houghton:
“Its a new season. It’s a new day.
Fresh anointing is coming your way.
It’s a season of power and prosperity.
It’s a new season coming your way.”
Get excited!
“After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ assistant, saying: “Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them—the children of Israel.”
Joshua 1:1-2 NKJV