Deuteronomy 31:6 - Courage in Calamity.
Deuteronomy 31:6 (NKJV) Be strong and of
good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them;
for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes
with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you."
COMMENTARY PEARL
After waking up to see his city
surrounded by the dreaded Syrian army, Elisha's
terrified servant ran to him for guidance. Elisha's
calm reply was, "Do not fear, for those who are
with us are more than those who are with them" (2
Kings 6:16). God then opened the servant's eyes so
he could see the heavenly army surrounding the
enemy.
God is always with His people. It may
look like the enemy is about to conquer, as when
the Syrian army was ready to attack Elisha's
hometown. But we must remember to "be strong and of
good courage ... for the LORD your God, He is the
One who goes with you." He will fight our
battles for us. We must pray and have confidence
that the Lord will work everything out for His
glory. Faith in what Christ can do will banish
every fear.
The promise that God "will not leave you
nor forsake you" should fill you with abiding
joy and peace. There Will Be Times When You Must
Reconnect To God Because You Either Let The Cares Of
The World Overtake You Or Neglected Your
Personal Time With Him. In those times, think on
today's verse.
Also, read those Scriptures where God's
leading of His people is evident. Pray for the Lord
to open your eyes like that of Elisha's servant
so that you can see His miracles unfolding
around you. The More You Keep Your Mind Stayed On
Heavenly Things, The More You Will Feel The Presence
Of God. Trust His promise.
Almighty God, thank You for the promise
that You are always with me. Today, I ask that
You make Your presence known to me. [The Most
Amazing Bible Promises by Amazing Facts]
COMMENTARY
Ya Gotta Have Heart!
Getting a big job done calls for heart.
Having a high IQ is not essential. Neither is being
a certain age. Or possessing a particular
temperament. You don't even need the backing of the
majority. History books are full of incredible stories
of men and women who accomplished remarkable
feats in the face of unbelievable odds.
While reading through the exciting story
of Nehemiah recently, I was reminded again of
this principle. You remember Nehemiah, the Jewish
leader whose passion for Jerusalem drove him to
leave the security of his home and job in Persia
to superintend the building of a protective
wall around Zion. What a project! And what
obstacles stood against him! But the job got done in
record time. Why? Nehemiah stated the reason in his
journal entry: "So we built the wall for the
people had a mind to work" (Neh. 4:6).
Check the margin of your Bible. The term
translated "mind" is the Hebrew word for "heart."
Another word for it might be "courage." In fact,
they are related.
In an early copy of Webster's dictionary
(1828), the author points out that courage comes
from coeur, the French word for heart: "Courage
is the quality that enables one to face
difficulty and danger with firmness, without fear or
depression." And then, as Webster (a born-again
Christian) often did in those days, he concluded his
definition with a Scripture reference: Deuteronomy 31.
That chapter includes Moses' final speech to the
children of Israel shortly before his death and
Joshua's taking up the torch of leadership. At 120
years of age, Moses tells 'em, "Ya gotta have
heart!"
Since the children of Israel were not
people of great courage (they'd been slaves in
Egypt for over four hundred years), Moses knew how
easy it would be for Joshua and his troops to
lose heart.
I'm not suggesting that all of us must be
Nehemiahs or Joshuas. Sometimes that may be necessary,
but I have observed over the years that some of
the greatest demonstrations of courage occur in
private places. Sometimes just staying with
something over the long haul - maintaining the vision
year after year - is magnificent proof of a
courageous heart.
You may or may not be a leader. But
chances are good that you are influencing others in
some measure. Don't just watch things happen. Get
in there with both feet. Risk, for a change.
Make some waves. Cut a new swath. Quit waiting
for the other guy. You get the job done!
One reminder: Ya gotta have heart.
"Great deeds are usually wrought at great
risks" (Herodotus). [Chuck Swindoll
www.insight.org.]
CLOSING THOUGHT
We May Fail
We may fail - let me change that - we
will fail! That's a fact. But the good news is
that God will never fail us! We are imperfect. If
we think we aren't, we can ask our loved ones
and accountability partners or sponsors. God, on
the other hand, is perfect - completely and
unfailingly perfect! God has promised never to fail us,
but what does that mean, exactly?
Does it mean he will never let us
struggle? Does it mean he will never let us have
losses? Does it mean he will never let us get into
financial trouble? Does it mean he won't let us suffer
the consequences of our actions and behaviors?
It does not! We will have struggles, losses,
problems, consequences, but he will always be with us
- no matter what we face.
When we make poor choices, we have to
face the consequences. When others make poor
choices that affect us, we may have to face the
hurt. But God will always be there to pick us up,
dust us off, and put us back on our feet again.
And we can help ourselves by seeking his will
before we make a potentially risky choice and by
setting appropriate boundaries for those we know are
not always safe to be around.
Father; I believe your words of promise
that you will always be there for me. Show me how
to live wisely. In Jesus' name, Amen.
[Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional by John & Johnny
Baker]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
Sit quietly with Me, letting all your
fears and worries bubble up to the surface of your
consciousness. There, in the Light of My Presence, the
bubbles pop and disappear. However, some fears
surface over and over again, especially fear of the
future. You tend to project yourself mentally into
the next day, week, month, year, decade; and you
visualize yourself coping badly in those times. What
you are seeing is a false image, because it
doesn't include Me. Those gloomy times that you
imagine will not come to pass, since My Presence
will be with you at all times.
When a future-oriented worry assails you,
capture it and disarm it by suffusing the Light of
My Presence into that mental image. Say to
yourself, "Jesus will be with me then and there. With
His help, I can cope!" Then, come home to the
present moment, where you can enjoy Peace in My
Presence. (Luk. 12:22-25; Deu. 31:6; 2 Co. 10:5)
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
ONE LINER
We must love the Lord and live according to
His Word. That is the secret of blessing and
success. It is also the secret of being an
encouragement to others. [Chapter by Chapter Bible
Commentary by Warren Wiersbe]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Deuteronomy 31:8 - Courage in Calamity: The
Dynamics (also see Joshua 1:9).
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2012/20120420-1400.html
Joshua 1:9 - Courage That Counts.
https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20221121-0952.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
