Psalm 34:4 “I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”
Joshua 1:9 “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.”
Deuteronomy 3:28 “But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou shalt see.”
British author and theologian C.S. Lewis wrote the following: “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.”
Much of society is gripped by fear in the midst of the unique and daunting challenges that we continue to face. Individuals are afraid of a virus, afraid of sickness, afraid of death, afraid of the economic downturn, afraid of unemployment, afraid of a reshaping of society, afraid of lost educational opportunities, afraid of loneliness, afraid of the missed opportunities to recognize milestones, and afraid of the erosion of essential institutions like the local church. They face fear alone, socially separated from their traditional pillars of resilience and sources of encouragement. It need not be so!
God has not left us to fend for ourselves, even if we are suffering through the challenges of human isolation. He is with us wherever we are, and He goes with us wherever we go. He offers us strength and courage. He charges us to encourage others – thus uplifting them, reminding them of God’s presence, and filling them with the courage that is lacking during their flagging moments. It is a virtue necessary now to buoy all other virtues, and is a way for Christians to vividly demonstrate our faith to a world whose courage may have waned long ago when first reaching their testing point.
PLEASE PRAY FOR A CHRISTIAN CHARACTERISTIC OF COURAGE THROUGH CHRIST. It will define our virtue at the testing point, and demonstrate a faith that is unwavering in a God that in unconquerable.
