A firefighter runs into a blazing building while everyone else its running out. That takes courage.
There’s also a kind of “daily” courage; it won’t get your name in the news or, for that matter, noticed at all, but at times it can require more from us than even running into a burning building—it’s the courage to get out of bed every day and fight for your marriage, provide for your children, and be a man of God who does his work well.
The dictionary defines courage as, “the state of mind that enables one to face hardship or disaster with confidence and resolution.” Let’s break that down.
The truth is you don’t need courage to buy a new car, have your children get good grades, or get that promotion you’ve always dreamed about. You need courage when you just lost your job, a child is headed in the wrong direction and you don’t know what to do, you can’t pay your bills, your wife tells you she doesn’t feel safe with you, or you’ve become addicted to porn and are leading a double life.
We all meet challenges like these, because hardships are baked into the Christian life. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22).
But we don’t have to be afraid. “Have no fear of sudden disaster or the ruin that overtakes the wicked, for the LORD will be your confidence and he will keep your foot from being snared” (Proverbs 3:25-26). If you know Scripture, think of the many times Jesus said, “Fear not!”
After Job lost his family, his business empire, and his health, his wife said, “Why don’t you just curse God and die?” (see Job 2:9).
His response? “Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him” (Job 13:15a).
The prophet Jeremiah was beaten and put in stocks overnight for speaking out. When released he lamented to God, “I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So the word of the LORD has brought me insult and reproach all day long” (Jeremiah 20:7b-8).
His response? “But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a burning fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9).
Wouldn’t you like to have that kind of courage for what you’re facing today?
Actually, if you are a follower of Jesus, you already do. Here’s how to fully access your courage. It’s about getting into a disciple’s state of mind.
What put Job and Jeremiah in such a state of mind that they could react with such courage in the face of their hardships and disasters?
First, they knew, believed, and trusted the Word of God. That’s a big step. Jesus called out some religious leaders in His day by saying, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God” (Matthew 22:29).
Courageous is the man who, knowing Scripture, has the power of God.
Second, they knew, believed, and trusted in God’s plan. The fact that God oversees all things drips off every page of Scripture. God “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11b).
Courageous is the man who believes God sovereignly orchestrates all human events.
Third, they followed the example of Jesus—“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5). What was the example of Jesus? He was a son, a steward, and a humble servant. Christ came to seek and save the lost. He came to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people. He willingly sacrificed his life for others.
Courageous is the man who, in the face of his daily battles, follows the example of Jesus.
Here are some questions for you to reflect on or talk about with others this week:
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