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Verse:But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” —Matthew 14:27, NIV
When we traveled in England back in 1965, we saw several signs that read, “Take Courage.” How nice, we thought, that must be a saying leftover from World War II. Later on, we discovered that Courage was a brand of ale. We were no longer so impressed!
But to take courage itself—not the ale—has always been good advice. Courage is mentioned numerous times in the Bible. One of the first uses appears when Moses speaks to Joshua (Deuteronomy 31:6 and repeated in verse 7). As Joshua thought about the task before him and thought of the trials Moses had endured, I am sure he needed some extra courage. And he received it in verse 8: “The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” God kept telling him to be courageous. We find this in Joshua 1:6, 7, 9, and 18. As a result of Joshua’s courageous stand and leadership, when the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings heard how the Lord had been leading, they lost their courage (Joshua 5:1).
Finally, Joshua was also able to tell the people he led to be strong and courageous when they faced their enemies: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong and courageous. This is what the LORD will do to all the enemies you are going to fight” (Joshua 10:25, NIV). Later, David showed a different type of courage. He wanted to build a temple to the Lord, but God sent word that he was not to do so. David could have become angry and discouraged. But instead, he prayed. And in this prayer, he said, “You, my God, have revealed to your servant that you will build a house for him. So your servant has found courage to pray to you” (1 Chronicles 17:25, NIV). Sometimes it takes courage even to pray.
When the woman who had been bleeding twelve years came to Jesus, He said: “Take heart” (Matthew 9:22, ESV). In other translations of Matthew, this appears as “be of good comfort” (KJV), “be encouraged” (NLT), and “be of good cheer” (NKJV).
When the disciples saw Jesus walking on water and thought He was a ghost, He said, “Take courage! It is I” (Matthew 14:27, NIV). He says that to us whether the danger we face is real or imagined. Take courage—in Jesus!
Ardis Dick Stenbakken.