Genesis 9:8-17; Ephesians 3:14-21; Mark 6:45-56
When we think of courage we’re likely to think of unusual situations in life that call us to brave action. Certainly, courage is needed to face an enemy in combat or to rescue a person from a burning building. But seeing courage as something that is extraordinary limits our understanding of how to live our day-to-day lives — and it works against the courageous living to which we’ve been called. At its core, courage is confidence in the face of a challenge. A person can only have as much courage as he has confidence and it is only as strong as what it is based on. False courage evaporates quickly because the person who has it lacks confidence or has put his confidence in the wrong person or thing. Where there is no confidence or nothing in which to be confident, there is no courage. Knowing this should give us pause when Jesus calls out to His disciples, “Take courage!”
The first implication of Jesus’ call is that His disciples lacked courage. Their confidence was either lacking or misplaced. Despite having witnessed the power of Jesus displayed in the feeding of thousands with a small amount of food, they still did not have confidence in Him. If they had, they would not have been terrified by His appearing to them walking on the storm-tossed Sea of Galilee. But more than highlighting their lack of courage, Jesus was assuring His disciples that they had every reason to be courageous by having confidence in Him. “Take courage!” is more than a command; it is the gracious invitation of our Savior to find the abundant courage that He provides to all who put their confidence in Him.
Like Jesus’ first disciples, we have every reason to be courageous when we are struggling through difficult circumstances and facing great loss. Our courage is unshakeable, not because of our unwavering confidence but because of the never-failing source of our confidence. “Out of His glorious riches” He gives us strength. We have been “rooted and established” in His love and “have power, together with all the saints” to live courageously in the certainty of Christ’s love, grace, and power — the power to “do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.” Including making us people filled with unwavering hope, unshakeable confidence, and bold courage for every circumstance of our lives.
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