courage for God's sake

And David said to the men who stood by him, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
1 Samuel 17:26

This was the courage that drew David to face Goliath. When every other warrior in Saul's army would only cower in fear at the sight of the giant, David felt that the honor of the name of God was at stake. It was not about fear or the outward threat of a man. It was about the integrity of the God of Israel and the power He could bring to bear in battle. David could not stand that this pagan mocked God by mocking Israel.

David's source of courage was the power of God to save. He knew it. He may have been just a "youth", but he had already faced impossible odds. God had given him the strength to defeat a lion and a bear that had threatened his father's flocks. God would give him the power to defeat this "animal" that defied God's people. David was a man with risk taking faith at his disposal.

One important facet of faith is the courage it produces. If I don't have a confident expectation in God, why bother believing at all? If I know that with God's help, I can face what seems impossible, than I know the courage that comes in faith. That is where I really am impressed with Christian faith. It gets me through what seems impossible. I know this, just like David did. In my case, it has not been lions or bears that threatened me, but I have seen plenty of impossible situations that faith and courage in God have strengthened. And I am not talking about my own life. One of the unique privileges of ministry is to be involved with people in their impossibilities. It can be at the death bed of a loved one. It can be through a debilitating illness. It can be through the loss of a job. It can be through what seems a hopeless marriage. It can be through a bitter struggle with a painful past. In all these things, I see the courage that God gave David to face a giant carry people through by faith. And courage for God's sake will make a life SOLID. It really will.


- Prepare your minds for action.
1 Peter 1:13