Published almost twenty years ago, “Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To” by Anthony DeStefano changed how I pray and how I experience God’s answers to my prayer. I’ll be spending the next few weeks talking about what I got from his book, and how applying the principles in this book to my own life changed me.
Be Strong and Courageous
Over thirty times in scripture, God says to have courage, to take courage, to be strong and courageous. For example, at the end of his review of their whole story of leaving Egypt, their forty years’ of wandering in the wilderness, the giving of God’s law and promises, and of what now lay before them in the land of promise, Moses declared:
“Be strong and bold; have no fear or dread of them, because it is the Lord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.”
Deuteronomy 31:6 NRSVUE (italics added)
Similarly, on the night before he died, Jesus gave his disciples his final word and testament, saying,
“In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!”
John 16:33 NRSVUE (italics added)
But, I Feel Afraid
God gives us this strong encouragement because, honestly, we actually are afraid. We are feeling timid and weak, and we are not sure we have what it takes to face what is in front of us.
When you and I pray to God, “Please give me courage,” we will find that one of the first things God will likely do is give us the nudge we need to start moving, to apply what God has already given us to do in the scriptures, and through prayer, to follow the wisdom God has shared with us.
Just the other day, I saw this quote come up in my newsfeed:
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one.”
Mark Twain
Often fear gets us to stop moving, and once you and I are standing still it is pretty hard to get going again. One of the hardest things to do is to get started when at a complete standstill. You and I convince ourselves it is too hard, it is too scary, it will not work, it will turn out badly.
That is physical, or emotional, or spiritual inertia at work.
Inertia
Inertia is the tendency of an object to resist changes in its motion. If that object is at rest, for example, at a complete standstill, then its natural state will be to stay at rest. If the object is in motion, then its tendency will be to keep moving at the same speed and in the same direction, unless acted upon by some external force.
An object’s resistance to change in velocity (including having no movement at all) or direction (including being at a standstill) has to be overcome. And, the greater the object’s mass is, the greater will be its inertia, and the more powerful a force will be needed to overcome that inertia. For you and me, the greater the fear, the more we need that supernatural nudge from God to help us.
Momentum
But the wonderful thing about God’s nudge is that once you and I get moving, even if it is the tiniest little step, the next step is a little easier, and the next one a little more easy. That is the power of momentum! Once having gotten started, both mass and velocity propel us forward.
And that is just the start. Once God gives us courage, it does not just end there. Our courage can grow every time you and I face what we fear, trust God, and do what is right. Like all virtues, courage is a muscle that increases in strength every time you and I exercise it.
In the first chapter of Joshua’s account, this doughty military leader exhorted the people,
“Be strong and courageous, for you shall lead this people to possess the land that I swore to their ancestors to give them.
“Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to act in accordance with all the law that my servant Moses commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, so that you may be successful wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. I hereby command you:
“Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua 1:6-9 NRSVUE (boldface added)
In the very next chapter, spies from the Israelite army entered Jericho and met a woman who described how all the courage had drained out of her own people when they had heard about what God had done in Egypt, and more recently in the nations bordering their own city state.
Yet that woman, Rahab, took great courage when she knew she could be on God’s side.
These Things Take Practice
DeStafano reminds us that it takes time and practice to overcome fear. There are bound to be setbacks, bound to be disappointments and so on. But every time you and I are willing to pray for courage, and use what God gives us, we will discover a bonus gift—perseverance. The apostle Paul said that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness. That is because when we are weak, we are in a perfect position to receive abundant grace and courage from God.
So if, as you are reading this, you find yourself feeling afraid about something, you are in a wonderful place to discover just how much God has for you, if you ask the Lord with the determination to put into practice what God gives you.
[Cover Image: Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash]
