What Is Strength?
Lately I have been asking that question and others.
How do we find strength?
How can we be strong when we really feel weak?
How do we do a show of strength? That is, being strong for others if we are really weak.
How do we have strength when we are constantly battered?
Where is strength then?
Anybody else ever ask these questions? What kind of answers do you have? I would love to know. (Post in FB comments, that is easiest).
Webster’s New World Dictionary* says strength is “the state or quality of being strong; force; power; toughness, durability.” Does that help?
What is Courage?
Is strength the same thing as courage?
How do we deploy courage?
If we are afraid, can we still show courage?
Webster’s New World Dictionary* says courage is, “the quality of being brave; valor.” Not sure that explains very much. On brave, “Not afraid, having courage.” Whatever that means. Sounds like circular reasoning to me. On valor, “Courage or bravery.” Uh huh.
Now I feel like Charlie Brown, frustrated and hollering, “doesn’t anybody know the meaning of courage?”
Bootstrap Strength
It seems that these terms don’t really define what strength or courage is.
Like most Americans, I barrel through things, trying to gather my courage together to be strong. That’s what we all inherited through our collective history. Be strong. Be ready to extend help to others, but don’t need it yourself. You got this. Right? Or wrong?
It’s exhausting.
Perhaps the truth is that neither courage nor strength comes from pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps. Maybe there is another answer.
“Have I Not Commanded You?”
Several times in the Scriptures God tells us to be strong and of good courage. I have observed that He repeats Himself many times when He want us to “get it.”
Much like we repeat our requests to our children. How many times does it take before they hear you?
We are God’s children. We are just as deaf when He talks to us until He shouts and we might hear.
He says He will go with us wherever we go. Did you see/hear that? He goes with us. His very presence means strength (power) and infuses us with courage (action). He’s given us armor to wear (Ephesians 6) and He goes before us in warfare.
It’s really a quite simple concept. It’s just difficult to put into practice. We are commanded not to be afraid nor be dismayed. We have the presence of our Commander, and we have a shield of faith to hold.
Strength and courage take faith to implement. And that is up to us.
“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; do not fear nor be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:6 NKJV).
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NKJV).
“And David said to his son Solomon, ‘Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the Lord God—my God—will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you’” (I Chronicles 28:20 NKJV).
“For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).
*Old version: Wiley Publishing Inc., Cleveland OH 2002
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