By David ReayWednesday 5 Feb 2020LifeWords DevotionalsDevotionsReading Time: 1 minute
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.” (NIV)
We generally suppose that courage and fear are opposites. They may be contrasting emotions but they actually belong together. Courage only becomes a meaningful concept if there is a threat which causes us to be afraid.
When the Israelites gathered on the far side of the Jordan prior to occupying the Promised Land they faced a threat. It was not going to be easy. Therefore they needed courage. If occupying the land was a piece of cake, no opposition or hardship, then courage was not required. The only time we need to talk about courage is when there is something that causes fear in us.
The Bible commands us not to be afraid—it is the most common command in the Bible. It does so because it is aware there is much which threatens us. Fear is not some exceptional sign of weak faith: it is common to the human condition. If there is no fear, there can be no courage.
We can be thankful that though our fears are real, our God is more than equal to them. The Israelites could have courage not because they were brave and ignored their fears. They had courage because they faced their fears realising God was with them.
Blessings
David