“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6
Courage is not the absence of fear. It is moving forward while fear is still speaking. The people in the Old Testament who heard 'be strong and courageous' were not being asked to feel brave first. They were being asked to act as if the Lord's presence was real before they felt certain of it. Joshua stood at the edge of a land he had never entered. The Israelites faced enemies they had never fought. They had no guarantee that things would go well. They had only a promise: the Lord goes with you.
The word 'never' appears twice in Deuteronomy 31:6 for a reason. He will never leave. He will never forsake. Not 'he will leave you later, when you're stronger' or 'he will step back once you've learned the lesson.' The commitment is absolute. When you act in faith, you are not acting alone, even when the evidence around you suggests otherwise. Even when you feel alone. The presence of God is not dependent on your ability to sense it.
Courage, then, is this: doing the next right thing because you believe you are not doing it in isolation. It is not about feeling invincible. It is about moving forward despite the trembling, because you have been told by a voice worth trusting that you will not be abandoned. The fear may stay. The decision to act anyway is what courage is.
Heart Takeaway
Today, identify one thing you have been avoiding because of fear. Do that one thing, not because you feel ready, but because you have been promised you will not do it alone. Notice what happens when you act as if that promise is true.
Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
