Take Courage

I'm in the middle of a Beth Moore Bible study right now called Living Beyond Yourself: Exploring the fruit of the spirit.  If you haven't considered doing this one, you most certainly should.  I love it! 

This past week our homework focused on peace.  Many stories were reviewed about times in Christ's life when he exuded peace, despite the circumstances.  One such story was when the disciples were out on the lake and a huge storm came.  Jesus walked on the water to help them.  They were terrified when they first saw Him and believed He may have been a ghost.

Mathew 14:27
But Jesus spoke to them at once. "Don't be afraid," he said.  "Take courage.  I am here!"

Notice a key part of that verse - Take courage.  Some versions word it differently, but I love the way it is worded in my New Living Translation.  Take courage. 

Not have courage.  Take courage. 

And then it struck me.  We take courage because it's His to give, not ours to have.  Do you get it? 

So many times people have said to us, "I just don't know how you all did it!  I can't imagine going through cancer with my child!!"  I usually respond by telling them that we didn't do it.  God did it.  It's the only way to explain it.  Left to my own devices I would have crumbled.  Over and over and over.  But there was Jesus in the midst of our crisis and heartache saying, "Take courage.  I am here!"

But should we have to go through crisis and heartache to take Jesus up on His offer to not be afraid of life's troubles?  He is there all of the time.  And He's able and willing to give us peace, joy and courage.  Even while the storm is still raging.  We just have to be willing to take it from Him instead of trying to find it on our own. 

Beth Moore defined peace nicely in the Bible study the other day.  "Peace means the absence of fear and turmoil, not the absence of pain and grief."  And that reminds me of two other verses from the Bible.

John 16:33
"I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me.  Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, becuase I have overcome the world."

Philippians 4:6-7
Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything.  Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.  Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

My prayer is that what I have learned along the journey will never be wasted.  These thoughts have resonated so strongly with me this week that I felt I must share them here with you.  I think we all need to hear these words, but I pray that it reaches those that need to hear it most right now. 

Much love,