Courage, Fear and Hope by Kim Reisman

Scripture Focus:

After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua, son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you… No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do. Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do. 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.”

Joshua 1:1-3, 5-9 (NLT)

Many people make the mistake of believing that in order to have courage, you cannot be afraid. This is a false and unfortunate idea that often hinders us from acting. There’s a story about two military officers who were in the midst of a raging and bloody battle. Seeing the obvious terror on the face of the other man, the first officer turned to his comrade and said, “Sir, if I were as afraid as you, I’d be ashamed to be an officer in this army.” Whereby the second officer replied, “Sir, if you were as afraid as I, you would have left the battlefield by now.”

Courage exists in the midst of our fear. It’s been said that courage is at home in the frightened heart. The Bible repeatedly emphasizes this message. Joshua, one of the bravest characters in the Old Testament, had the responsibility of leading the Israelites into the promised land. Moses has died and God is instructing Joshua about his new responsibilities of leadership. In the midst of his promises of a new homeland, God reminds Joshua to be strong and courageous. Now this fact alone doesn’t say much; however when we look closely, we realize that God has to tell Joshua to be strong and courageous no less than three times. Joshua must have been afraid or God wouldn’t have had to remind him to be courageous so may times. Yet here is the crux. God is not asking for blind courage. Rather, God asks for the courage that comes from knowing that God will be with Joshua wherever he goes, that God will not fail or forsake him. God supports Joshua in his fear, empowers him to act and uses him for his purposes. God does no less with us.

I mentioned last week that the fear we face can be physical, mental, moral, emotional, or spiritual. Therefore, courage is required of us in all areas of our lives. Yet, the question of where we get the courage we need to act despite our fear remains. I believe that it’s hope that give us the courage to act when we’re afraid. Without hope, all courage dies. We gain courage for living, all of our living, when we have the hope that life will win. One observation of historians is that people only change their world when they have hope that things can get better. Revolts against dictatorships occur not because people are oppressed; rather, oppressed people revolt against dictatorships because they have hope that freedom is available for them.

Hope is what gives us the courage to do the things we’re afraid of doing because hope is faith that we will prevail; and this faith gives us the power to be victorious. Yet hope is not magical. It doesn’t take away all the evil from the world. In the movie Braveheart, Mel Gibson plays a man who bravely leads a Scot movement of revolt against England during the twelfth century. The movement has only been partially successful, and toward the end of the movie he is awaiting death at the hands of a torturous executioner. In a moving scene, he is alone in his cell, awaiting the escort to take him to the executioner’s block in the town square. He is visibly afraid, trembling and sweating and pacing. Finally, in a last prayer, he asks God simply to help him to die well. The hope that gives him courage to face the executioner is not the hope that he will somehow be spared, it is the hope of Joshua: that God will not forsake him but will be with him in his suffering and that through his death others might be encouraged to fight on.

While we all hope for the healing of the world and our triumph over evil, as Christians our hope is deeper even than that; for we know that God has already triumphed over evil through the cross and is even now healing our broken and hurting world. When our fear tells us that we are alone, hope tells us that God is still here and he is on our side. Hope tells us that God is on the side of life, not death; the side of love, not hate; the side of healing, not brokenness; the side of joy, not misery; the side of peace, not war. As Christians our hope is seen at its zenith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For in the resurrection, we have our hope in the ultimate victory of God. With this hope, we can live with courage, even sacrifice, and risk our lives for others and for the sake of justice and righteousness.

As you continue on your prayer and fasting journey, consider this truth: Hope is what gives us courage to do things we are afraid of doing because hope is faith that we will prevail. Have you had a personal experience, or have you seen a situation which verifies this truth? Reflect on that experience or situation.

I am praying for you! That you would have the courage of Joshua – the courage that comes from knowing that God will be with you wherever you go and that he will not fail or forsake you. The courage that comes from knowing that God supports each of us in our fear, empowers us to act, and uses us for his purposes.