“COURAGE, DEAR HEART”
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In one of my favorite stories when growing up, one of the tenderest moments comes when the heroes of the journey were lost in a sea of darkness aboard their small ship. Amid their panicked efforts to escape the darkness, seemingly rowing in circles, Lucy—the main female character—whispered an urgent prayer for help. Although the darkness seemed unchanged, “she began to feel a little—a very, very little—better.” Then, one of the crew noticed a small point of light that grew to become a beam of light falling on them and offering them a way forward. At that moment, Lucy heard the voice of the Godlike character—a great lion, similar to the lion described by Isaiah earlier in his book (see Isaiah 31:4)—who had guided their journey but who seemed to have abandoned them in the darkness and amid the feelings of despair it generated. As the darkness began to lighten, the message was intimate and simple, in a whisper only Lucy could hear: “Courage, dear heart.”* Isaiah presented the voice of God with a similar intimacy and encouragement. This God was engaged in the creation of each person, their physical formation, and their ongoing sustaining. That each of us exists is already evidence of God’s incredible care and provision. But, more than this, God also has the voice of a doting parent, whispering reassurance to a child who was not only created but also chosen and dearly loved. Jeshurun was drawn from a Hebrew term of endearment and affection, saying in effect, “Do not be afraid, my dear child.” Isaiah’s God spoke to the people with a voice of tenderness and love—even in a time of exile, amid temptations to despair.
* C. S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawntreader (London: Fontana Lions, 1980), 143.
