Be
Strong and Courageous
By Susan Klein
“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
As
the Israelites were getting ready to cross the Jordan into the Promised Land,
Moses handed the lead over to Joshua, exhorting him to “be strong and
courageous,” explaining that God would go before Him to prepare the way.
(Ironic, coming from a man who had once himself been fearful of leading God’s people.)
After Moses dies, we see God utter the same words to Joshua, not once, but
three times.
“Be
strong and courageous.”
God
knows when we are about to face a fearful situation. He has equipped us with
every human emotion, and knows when we are experiencing each of them.
Sometimes, He asks us to go beyond our feeling of fear and faithfully exhibit
trust in Him by being courageous. This seems to happen especially when the
situation seems dire or doesn’t make any human sense. However, He is preparing
the way and will walk ahead or alongside of us through the scary situation. We
just need to obey.
In
the movie, The Help, Preacher Green delivers a powerful message as
he speaks of Abileen’s courage. She is a
domestic helper, willing to risk retaliation and persecution for sharing the
truths of her mistreatment, as well as encouraging others to do the same. He
states, “Courage is not just about being brave. Courage is daring to do what’s right in spite of the weakness of our flesh. And God tells us, compels us, commands us to
love. The love as exemplified by our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be prepared to
put yourself in harm’s way for your fellow man, your brother, your sister,
neighbor and enemy. If you can love your enemy, you already have the victory.”
Later on in the movie, Skeeter - - who is taking the risk of writing a book
exposing how “the help” are being mistreated - - has a profound impact on her mother, who
had previously refused to stand up for
the rights of a servant of her own. She tells her daughter, “Courage sometimes
skips a generation. Thank you for bringing it back to our family.”
The
obedient act of courage can be seen when we love our enemies, when we stand up
for the rights of others with no regard for our own consequences, or when we
just plain old do what’s right in spite
of the weakness of our flesh. It’s okay to “feel” scared inside, as long as
we choose to externally display our faith and trust in the One who calls us to
be strong and courageous.
GOING
DEEPER:
1.
What circumstances evoke the emotion of “fear” in your life?
2.
How might you seek God’s help in obeying His call to courageous living?
FURTHER
READING:
Susan is a We Women Bible Study Coordinator
and one of its teachers. She and her husband Mark enjoy tutoring and working
with inner-city youth.
