THE ANATOMY OF COURAGE!

 

Thursday, April 15, 2021

 

THE ANATOMY OF COURAGE!

 

Judg 6:11-12

11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

 

           The root of courage is fear, but courage is only activated when fear is mixed with desperation. Such was the mixture on the floor of the winepress of Joash. One might have heard Gideon mumbling angrily to himself while the Angel of the Lord sat by and listened. Complaints and angry grumbling surely are the companions of courage.

 

           The ferocity of deadly resolve springs from deep desperation. It prompts acts of passion and intensity. It is the explosive breath of one who has held his breath too long. It is the timid child exploding in the face of the bully while other timid children cheer on. When the bully cannot be placated by surrender then the only course of action is action. A bitter fight to the death ensues and it favors the angry timid soul rather than the sporting bully. One is engaged in sport while the other has already contemplated death. This is the stuff of courage.

           When evil discards his cloak of hypocrisy and dares the timid to restrain his wicked agenda, the peaceful must decide how long he will endure naked abuse before he explodes in wild retaliation. Such was the case at the founding of our nation. “When in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them …” So, the colonists chose to throw off the bands of tyranny.

 

           Gideon thought himself to be anything but courageous, but he was angry, and he was frustrated. He had a keen grasp of right and wrong and he was ready to throw off the bands of tyranny.

 

1 Kings 18:21

21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

 

Lord, Satan is a bully and has engaged us in sport. Let us find the resolve needed to fight him. AMEN