I'd known it was important for the biblical warriors. I remember Joshua being told to be strong and courageous, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9.
I remembered King David echoing this advice to his son, Solomon, and it becoming wisdom for him. “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished." 1 Chronicles 28:20
I knew it had been part of Jesus' admonition to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” Mark 5:36
And I'd memorized it as children's song based on Isaiah 2:12, "the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation."
But even though I knew all this in the mind and soul part of me, it never sank into my heart. The inner ears of my spirit had never come close to hearing the importance of courage and the tragedy of lack-of-courage the way that God speaks about it.
The different translations of the Bible use many synonyms to express the idea of courage: boldness, confidence, assurance, strength, bravery, stout-heartedness. But for me, the greatest impact came when looking at the antonyms, what courage it is not: cowardness and UNBELIEF!
I typed unbelief into a Bible search tool. The matches came up with phrases like:
He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
He wondered at their unbelief.
He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart.
They were broken off for their unbelief.
They were not able to enter because of unbelief.
You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I put up with you? (found 3x)
The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.
To those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are defiled.
Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
By the time I finished running those references, I had two thoughts. (1) The word "unbelief" was never found in the Old Testament; all the matches were in the New Testament. Even though there were persons during the Old Testament era who had no regard for the Lord, their standards for personal accountability were different than for those New Testament believers who'd received access to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, and (2) How in the world can KatieLyn's mother try to tell me that doubt and unbelief are GOOD and ought to be acted upon as the WISE thing to do! No! KatieLyn had heard God's will for her life and she will be accountable for that bit of knowledge.
Running away is a cowardly act. There is no real debate over that point. KatieLyn was full of unbelief in herself and full of unbelief in God. The only counterpoints that an honest person can muster will follow the sentiments in the old English rhyme, "He who fights and runs away may live to fight another day." Of course, that means either (a) you chose to lose, or (b) you will still have to face that battle in the future.Yes, I will concede that being a living coward is better than being dead. But KatieLyn was not facing death if she'd stayed. She was facing people who had come to love her because of her love for Joe. She would have faced some tough questions from people who wanted answers that made sense. She would have been expected to cowgirl up and handle the situation like an adult woman who was ready to face life.
"Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong in the days that I will deal with you?" I, the LORD, have spoken and will act. Ezekiel 22:14 God places tremendous importance on hearts that can endure, on minds that think bold thoughts, and on hands that are strong and steady. It is not a good idea to go cry in the truck.
The Lesson
God places value on courage.
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