As I came along in my running/corresponding verse journey, I took the time to write introductions for each, so many of our discussions from here on might not have the 2026 voice to introduce the 2023 one. This verse is God giving Joshua a pep talk because there were big undertakings ahead…and God was already there.

“👟 RSD 1150 ✅ Today’s Verse: “No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” — Joshua 1:5

You know I love me some different translations. Why not explore language too look for deeper meaning when learning about the One who invented it? Translations carry the same package but in different delivery systems, and anyone who does Amazon vs another site with more shipping options, you know that sometimes one system of delivery gets the package to you sooner than another. Language is like that for people, and the FedEx, USPS, and UPS routes in the language and information areas of our brains will all get you what you’re looking for, just with different packaging. Today’s verse is another way God tells us (even though He’s telling Joshua) that He’s always there (I know, omnipresent, but God doesn’t mean just “there”); He means there with us. The Message translation is, “All your life, no one will be able to hold out against you. In the same way I was with Moses, I’ll be with you. I won’t give up on you; I won’t leave you.” The Modern English Version is similar: “No man will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, I will be with you. I will not abandon you. I will not leave you.” And, the Expanded Bible translation uses synonyms to help move the ideas along: “No one will be able to ·defeat [resist; stand against] you all your life. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not ·leave [fail] you or ·forget [desert; forsake] you.”

Remember Moses and the parting of the Red Sea from the other day? Joshua was Moses’s successor to lead the people (so he did a lot of leading alongside Moses as well), and his job, among other things, was to lead the Israelites to the Promised Land; it was quite a task. Let’s just say there were literal walls in his way, and literal battles ahead—you know, tough times—so God reassured him that things would work out and that He would help Joshua and his people. The walls fell, by the way. Literally. And, the battles were won. Things worked out for Joshua.

We all have walls in our way and battles left to fight, so God’s reassuring message to Joshua is really meant for us as well. I really liked the “I will not…forget…you” (the ellipses are me trying to be a good English student citing these) in the Expanded Bible translation. Forsake (from Oxford on Google) is “to abandon” or “to renounce or give up (something valued or pleasant).” That “something valued or pleasant” give that fancy word a different flavor, and we’ll come back to that. I say “fancy” because forsake, even though it is a powerful word, sometimes sounds academic, like we don’t use it in everyday vernacular, so we’re not as connected to the word. We know it has a lot of meaning, but something familiar connects to our hearts a little more easily (hence, many people using NIV over King James—easier to understand, quicker to the heart). So, when I read “forget” in the EXB version, it gave me pause. It’s sweet, simple, and, to me, goes straight to the heart. “I’ll remember you” hits differently than “I won’t forget you” because everyone’s fear isn’t so much not being remembered, it’s being forgotten. They’re two different things. Anyone seen Home Alone 2?

Remembering someone means you’ll think of them fondly from time to time whereas not forgetting someone means, in some way or another, they’re never far from your thoughts. Think about it this way (via light-hearted personal anecdotes). I forgot to order a yearbook this year (sorry, Mike). I have remembered at the most inopportune times that I have forgotten to order the yearbook then remembered it over and over again (e.g. blurting it out to Mike at 3 Mile Thursday (cross country practice) last week at 7 a.m. literally a minute before we started off the run). It’s like I remember only to forget again. Stay with me here. It’s not a 5-alarm fire, but it is something I want to remember and, eventually, my Venmo/checkbook, my brain, and the opportunity to make the order will all be in the same location. A yearbook order is something I’ll eventually remember because a yearbook is something nice to have, so I’m not super concerned, and, more than likely the Jupiter of Venmo and Saturn of my actually making the order won’t align tomorrow; it will eventually. But, I know I won’t forget to run tomorrow. Those of you who have seen my running journey know that I’ve been running a mile or more every day since April 29, 2020. And, if you don’t know my running journey, I mean, that previous sentence is literally the thing, so you’re caught up. Every. Day. No days off. It’s called a running streak, and, when you’ve done it for 1,150 days in a row, running becomes something that’s a part of your day (think like brushing your teeth). I won’t forget to run tomorrow. I think about it the night before when I’m doing that late night thing of “oh, tomorrow I’m going to get up at this time and do x,y,z” while setting the alarm. It’s part of my day. I have two alarms set for 6:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. just in case I forget. But, I don’t. It’s part of my day every day. Yeah, I’ll remember the yearbook order, but I won’t forget to run.

When God says He won’t forsake us, He’s not saying He’ll remember: He’s saying He won’t forget. Similarly, “I’ll be there” means that you’re showing up, you’re going to be with your friend—some people mean this like “ride or die,” and some people mean for awhile; see, “I’ll be there” can also mean that you might show up to a party late and leave early. “I won’t leave” means that you’re helping that friend who’s stressed out hosting that party the entire time until the party’s over. God wanted Joshua to know that He’s there the whole way. Even the walls of Jericho wouldn’t stand against him, and, y’all, that was a TASK—literally walls dropped to the ground. And, for the “I will be with you”—the “with you” is a lot different than being “there.” With. You. God makes it personal. He’s not just going to show up and chill in the background; He’s going to have your back and go in front of you and stand beside you. God is with you the whole way in this party of life. You are the “something valued” in the definition from earlier in the post. He won’t forsake you.”