Speak, O Lord, as we come to YouTo receive the food of Your Holy WordTake Your truth, plant it deep in usShape and fashion us in Your likeness
That the light of Christ might be seen todayIn our acts of love and our deeds of faithSpeak, O Lord, and fulfill in usAll Your purposes for Your glory
Teach us Lord, full obedienceHoly reverence, true humilityTest our thoughts and our attitudesIn the radiance of Your purity
Cause our faith to rise, cause our eyes to seeYour majestic love and authorityWords of pow’r that can never failLet their truth prevail over unbelief
Speak, O Lord, and renew our mindsHelp us grasp the heights of Your plans for usTruths unchanged from the dawn of timeThat will echo down through eternity
And by grace we’ll stand on Your promisesAnd by faith we’ll walk as You walk with usSpeak, O Lord, till Your church is builtAnd the earth is filled with Your glory
“Speak O Lord” by Keith and Kristyn Getty,
Christian musical duo from Northern Ireland
If you’ve ever been in a relay race, you know the person ahead of you has a baton that they must pass over to you. Your job is to run as fast as you can to catch-up to the runner ahead so your hand can receive that baton, and continue running the race to the end.
This is the lesson Joshua has for us in our daily lives: Passing on the Baton.
Joshua was a young man when he watched the goings-on between Moses and Pharaoh and even the parting of the Red Sea. Through time Joshua grew to be the head of the Hebrew army under Moses and also after Moses died. He was to be the one to lead God’s people into the Promised Land. He was the receiver of the baton.
Although Joshua wasn’t completely sure he was worthy of the task, he trusted God and listened when God said, “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.” Joshua 1:7 (NIV). Through all the years, Joshua had been saying “Yes” to God, and now God put His hand on Joshua and appointed him to this new calling.
We are living in a world where there could be many directions you could go, but we need to be ready to be used by God. You want to serve the Lord and fulfil His purposes in your life. It’s not so important that you find a position, it’s important you are faithful where God has put you and that you are prepared for whatever God has for you in the days ahead.
When you know you can’t, but you know God’s called you, then you know that He will give you the grace and the equipment to do what He has called you to do. Joshua was utterly dependent on God to do this job. Joshua didn’t have to rely on his own abilities, his own natural wisdom, his own authority. God provided all that was needed.
Joshua teaches us to grab the baton and then pass it on! Live out Joshua 24:15, “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” Joshua saw God’s promise come to pass. Not one thing has failed in all that the Lord has promised – not then and not now.
