This past weekend I took my oldest to the Emergency Room. She was dehydrated and suffering from high fevers and body pains, the doctor told her she needed a IV placed so she could get fluids. My daughter did not take the news well. My 7 year old princess, became a wounded warrior. She sobbed into my chest and begged to be sent home. The nurse, brought her in a stuffed animal and promises of Popsicles for exchange for her bravery. I took my baby in my lap and prayed over her, I reminded her that God loves her, and that He promises to be with us and that He will never ask us to do anything that He has not already equipped us to do. I prayed that God's peace would come over my daughter as she cried in my arms. As the moment of truth came to fruition, and my daughter wept and shook as the nurses held her tiny arm and talked her through the process, my baby looked at me with sad blue eyes and whispered, "Mommy. I can't be brave. I just can't be brave. I'm to scared."
As I watched my daughter go through a very real fearful situation, I couldn't help but think of times in my life when I've prayed the same prayer to God. "Lord, I'm trying to be brave. But I just can't! I'm just too scared!"
I've often read of the great men and women in the Bible who did tremendously brave things for the sake of the Gospel, or in the name of God. I think of David and his battle with the giant, Daniel and his night with the lions, Rahab and her helping the spies to destroy Jericho, Ruth, Esther, the Apostle Paul...So many men and women that God used to do incredible things at great cost to their own safety. I read these passages and I think to myself, could I ever be that brave?
When my daughter told me "Mommy, I can't be brave..." I looked right at her and said the very thing God says to us. "That's okay Baby. You don't need to be brave, you just need to trust that God will get you through this." I think God echoes this same answer when we tell him our fears, when we cry out that were trying but we just can't be brave anymore. You see Webster defines Brave as ready to face and endure danger or pain; showing courage, endure or face (unpleasant conditions or behavior) without showing fear.
But God defines bravery as a dependence on Him, and an understanding of where our courage comes from. 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that we have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power. And 2 Corinthians 12:9 that God's grace is sufficient for us in our weakness.
Sunday Morning, our adult Sunday School class was talking about martyrs, and the same resounding answer came from all of us. "How could I ever be that brave?" As we continued to talk about Martyrdom, and the promise of persecution that Jesus and Paul so frequently spoke of to us as we follow Christ, what struck me was the fact that these men and women of faith did not suddenly wake up one day and die for the sake of Christ, but that they had a journey with Christ that led to their eventual death. The life that they lived with their savior was one that proved to them that they could endure, because they had confidence in the God they served. He may not rescue them from their present suffering, but He would never lead them down a road that He had not already equipped them to endure. They didn't have to be brave, they just need to know the God that is in control.
So how did the great Martyrs through the ages cultivate such a relationship with God, what did they grasp about the person of God that allowed them to remain pillars of faith in the midst of such great suffering? I think that they truly understood the kingdom purpose behind will of God. They didn't seem to ask many "why me?" questions, they just seemed to know that their life was about more then themselves. That's where the grace of courage is born. If you are a Christian then you are called apart from the world, Isaiah 43 tells that we can have courage because God has called us by name. And if God has called you apart by name, then don't you think that he had a reason to do so? You are not invited into the family of God in order to meet a heavenly quota based on your abilities, personalities or rugged good looks. You are called, with a job to do. And that job is one thing, further the kingdom of God. It's mind blowing when you sit with that for a minute, YOU are
So my challenge to you today, is to think about this, you are created with a purpose. You are vital to the work God is doing in His great story of redemption. What if God called you to be courageous, even unto death? Are you confidant in the God who called you? If not, then like my daughter who cried that she can't be brave, it's okay to cry out to God and share your fears. God loves to show His faithfulness to his chosen people.
Rest in the Grace of Courage that God has for you today.
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