Good Courage
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Psalm 31:24
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
When you visit Worship for the Weekday, you will know immediately that this verse from Psalm 31 is one of my “key” verses. A dear sister in Christ one Christmas gave several of us a gift of food to nourish our bodies and select scripture that she discerned was applicable/appropriate for each of us. She attached the scripture verses to a card so we would have a tangible reminder of them. She indicated as she had the cards spread out in front of her that this was not the first scripture she selected for my gift.
She told us she had selected another card and attached it to the gift, but continued to discern this was verse I was to receive. She had no idea I was in desperate need of great courage at that time. I am ever grateful for her obedience in giving me both scripture! This verse encouraged and uplifted me for many months, and continues to remind me of my friend and of God’s insistence in telling us He is involved in our lives.
I am ever awed at the faith of the Old Testament prophets. They were surely perceived in a less than favorable light—at a minimum—or as charlatans or lunatics at worse! They needed the assurance of the love of God in Christ Jesus, but persevered without it. God broke through to them and infused them with enough courage to sustain them. They were obedient and trusted their God that He would be with them in their mission.
Fortunately, we have Jesus and His resurrection as our promise and our hope. No matter what we are experiencing in our lives, we know God sees it, experiences it with us, and will sustain us through it. He sent Jesus to earth to tell us this truth. In Christ, though, we received so much more just a message. We received God’s grace through no act or great work of our own. We have the gift of eternal life in heaven through the grace won for us on the Cross.
From that perspective, anything we are dealing with in our lives becomes less challenging, doesn’t it. I say that with such facility! I have never faced a life-threatening illness or catastrophic loss. I have had a blessed life in so very many ways. I don’t understand why or how. I only know that in the times I have been tested I have been sustained with the good courage of Christ on the Cross.
My prayer today is that you will be sustained with the good courage of Christ. And that you rest in the God who has walked with us since Adam breathed his first breath.
Mary
