Courage

This is the word that keeps coming to mind “This is my command–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”  I hear this verse in my head and believe that it is His word to us in these times.

The world does not feel like a safe place. We have access to so much bad news and we hear about tragedy that we never imagined could happen. Our hearts are heavy as we look around and realize there is so much we cannot change in our own lives and the lives of others. At the same time, there are things that we can do and they often take courage. It is surprising how much courage is involved in our decisions. Just stop and think about something that you want to do, but somehow fear is keeping you from moving forward. What do you need ” courage “and God wants to give it to you. If His command is to be strong and courageous then we have to trust Him to provide strength and courage.

Courage often means stepping out and making a decision that others think is foolish. God may be calling you to do something they cannot understand.  He is asking you to follow him and not the voice of reason or logic. He is asking you to do something that only you know is from Him. He is leading you down a road that no one sees except you. Often He leads us forward into a new adventure and it looks crazy to other people. At times He tells us to stand still and wait ..that may look even more crazy to others. In our culture waiting and standing still patiently are not very popular. In the kingdom of God it is the opposite. “Now stand here and see the great thing the LORD is about to do.”

Are you struggling with circumstances that make no sense? Are there things in your life that you never anticipated? Are there more questions than answers? If so, then you are not alone. Many of us are in the same situation and God is with us. He is asking us to trust Him. He is growing our faith and He is deepening our relationship with Him. He is our shelter in the storm.. our safe haven. Let’s pray for strength and courage and trust that He is more than willing to give it to us.

I love the movie ” Finding Nemo” because it is all about courage. Remember this part?

Marlin:
I promised I’d never let anything happen to him.

Dory:
Hmm. That’s a funny thing to promise.

Marlin:
What?

Dory:
Well you can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him.

It makes sense doesn’t it. Courage involves risk and without risk life is not worth living..