I’ve commanded you to be brave and strong, haven’t I? Don’t be alarmed or terrified, because the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
Reflection
Today’s scripture is God speaking to Joshua after Moses died. God called Joshua to be the leader of the Jews as they entered the land the Lord had designated for them after being slaves in Egypt. In verse 7 God tells him to be brave and strong and obey all of the instructions Moses had given him. In our scripture God tells Joshua that God will be with him!
When I think about courage, I always think about the Lion’s speech in The Wizard of Oz. The Lion gives a compelling speech, but in the end, he does not even convince himself, as he declares that courage is the thing he ain’t got! Of course, it is Dorothy the child – and a girl child no less – who has the courage to take on the Wicked Witch of the West. Dorothy is frightened but does not let fear stand in the way of helping out a friend. And because of this act, she ends up getting the broom to take back to the Wizard. And if you have become a fan of Wicked – whether you are team Elphaba or team Glinda – you know both witches had to have courage to defeat the forces against them.
If you aren’t a fan of Wicked, you probably have some other fictional characters that you are partial to because of their courage. I would also guess that you have some real-life people that you admire for their courage. I tend to read more nonfiction than fiction, and it never ceases to amaze me what people can endure to save themselves or someone else from different circumstances. I’m sure you can list many examples of courageous acts that you have read about or that you know of personally.
You may be in a time of your life right now when you can’t begin to think about big acts of courage and you might be thinking that the most courage you can muster is to get yourself out of bed, dressed, and out the door in the morning. If that is where you are, then you absolutely showed courage if you got it accomplished! And if you started, but didn’t finish, well, that took courage to start and there will be more courage available to you to finish.
We all need courage to get through our day – of course some days need more than others, but we have access to a God who can provide it to us. As God told Joshua, God will give us the courage we need. We may need courage to make a hard phone call, to change jobs, to go and comfort a friend who is sick, to see a doctor about symptoms we have been experiencing, and the list goes on and on. Courage can take on different meanings for each of us. Whatever it looks like to you, take those examples and use them in your life, but remember that God will supply what you need if you ask.
by Janet Waryck
For Pondering and Prayer
What do you need courage for today? Try praying about it, ask a friend to pray or to go with you as you tackle a difficult thing or ask that friend to help you rehearse a difficult conversation. Sometimes a “wing person” is just what we need to help us find the strength and courage we need. Even if you don’t want a person to help, remember God is always there.
Prayer: Dear God, help us to remember those whose stories of courage we tell. Help us to remember our own stories of courage and to remember that you tell us to “be strong and brave” because you will be with us. Thank you for your presence in all we do. Amen.
