Have you ever felt like everything was changing and you couldn't stop it? How did that make you feel? Psychiatrists say that most of us perceive change as bad. It’s certainly true for me! Remember the good old days when things were done the "right" way? I remember with great fondness the way we gathered and worshiped the Lord during the time when I came to Christ in the early 1970s—the great teachers we sat under, eagerly taking notes, the wonderful times of fellowship. What memories resonate with you? Let’s spend the next few days considering a time of great change for one great leader, a man named Joshua:

Now it came about after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ servant, saying, "Moses My servant is dead; now therefore arise, cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you, just as I spoke to Moses."  (Joshua 1:1-3)

I like this passage. Moses, one of the greatest leaders in history, had just died and the people were mourning. God allowed the people to mourn Moses’ death for a period of thirty days. God really does understand our pain; He knows that we have to deal with our grief. Eventually though, it was time for Joshua and the people of Israel to stop mourning and start moving. Moses had been God’s chosen leader for taking Israel out of Egypt but he could not take them into the land of promise. Joshua was the man God chose to take the people into the Promised Land and into a new era. This passage reminds us of the painful truth that sometimes one era must die before another can begin. Sometimes the changes we are experiencing as pain and loss are actually the birth pangs of God taking us to a new place. We would not choose to go there but God is faithful to take us there despite our hesitations.

Today, you may be finding yourself in a period of change. What will you do? Look around to see if God might be using your pain to take you somewhere. If so, commit to going there with Him. Trust God...and then hang on for the ride!