I am not a brave person. I have a fear of heights, and though not completely claustrophobic, I avoid confined spaces. I'm not pathologically afraid of snakes and reptiles, but I would always give them a wide berth! I tend to be shy around strangers, but over the years, I have learned to put on a brave face and to be cheerful and communicative, but it takes me a while to really open up to a new acquaintance.

I'm not sure that I would have been as courageous as Queen Esther was when all the Jews in Persia were in danger of being wiped out.

Esther 4:13-14 – Then Mordecai told them to reply to Esther, "Do not think to yourself that in the king's palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place, but you and your father's house will perish. And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?" (ESV)

In appearing at the royal court without a summons, Esther risked her own life, even though she was queen, but she did it, accompanied by the prayers and fasting of friends and family. Her courage averted a genocide!

I think that it takes courage and wisdom to see the reasons why God has placed us where we are today, and to go with that. Although safe for the moment in Canada, in general, these are dark times, and God is using His people to be lamps to remove the gloom. Perhaps, we may wish that we were somewhere else or in another time, but He calls us to serve where we are. God places an inborn sense of what's right in each heart. Do we ignore it out of self-interest, or do we go out in courage and faith to honour the Lord in all of our actions?

Being brave means acting even though we have limitations. He hasn't given us a spirit of fear. In our weakness He has made us strong, and He will never take us where He hasn't planned the situation in advance.

Isaiah 46:4 – Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save. (ESV)

How willing are we to go out and be a blessing, to smile at, greet, or offer a helping hand to someone else, to speak openly about our faith, or to be the lamp in the darkness, and not be afraid?

Prayer: Dearest Lord, when darkness hides Your lovely face, may we rest on Your unchanging grace. In every high and stormy gale, may our anchor hold within the veil. On Christ, the solid Rock, we stand. All other ground is sinking sand. Give us the courage, O Lord, to keep our eyes fixed on You in dark times, and to be ready to be a blessing to many others. Amen.

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About the author:

Shirley Moulton <shirley_moulton@yahoo.ca>
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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