Courage
In the past few days, God has brought the word “courage” into my presence several times. And because I have become increasingly sensitive to “patterns” and “repetition” in my life, I found myself led to ask: ”God, is that You?” and “What are You trying to show me?”
The funny thing is that I don’t see myself as a particuarly brave or courageous person. I don’t think in all my life, that I have described myself or my ways, in those terms. Ever. I don’t really seek out change or even really challenge. I am really not very adventurous. I tend to go with what I am familiar with and what I am good at. I tend to favor routine and structure.
In the American Heritage Dictionary, “courage” is defined as: ”The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables one to face danger, fear or vicissitudes with self-possession, confidence, and resolution; bravery.”
During my quiet time, God led me to the Concordance in the back of my New International Version (NIV) Faith in Action Study Bible for the words courage and courageous. There were 33 references from both the Old and New Testaments combined.
Here is some of what I found……………
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 [+/-]
“Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their forefathers to give them.” Joshua 1:6 [+/-]
“Be strong and 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 [+/-]
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9 [+/-]
“David also said to Solomon his son… Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.” 1 Chronicles 28:20 [+/-]
“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is greater power with us than with him.” 2 Chronicles 32:7 [+/-]
When I looked back over these verses for patterns, content and applications, this is what I saw…….
1. Be strong and courageous…………..always
2. Do not be afraid
3. God is with me wherever I go
4. God will never leave me or forsake me
5. God has and will lead me to better times
6. I need to obey God and be careful not to step even so slightly to the right or to the left
7. I will need to do “the work” that He puts before me
8. God will continue in my life until His plans are completed
9. I have greater power within me than those against me
It may takes days, even weeks and months, for God to fully unfold these promises to me. And although life is surely a journey, I have these Truths to stand on today. I have fears in my life, but I don’t have to be afraid because God is with me. He will provide what I need moment by moment to live out the life that He has given me.
May you find renewed courage in your faith in God today. You do not have to be afraid. You do have to go it alone. You do not have to wonder if you have what it takes. You do not have to wonder if better times will ever come. God is with you.
