Courage & Hope

Today this verse jumped at me.

Psalm 31:24 – NIV – Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.

The wording was compelling me to dig deeper.  Not sure why I am digging deeper, but I am following.  Key words above “be strong” and “take to heart” are really the driving forces.  So onto additional translations and dictionaries I go for some major dissection.

Psalm 31:24 – KJV – Be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.

The KJV resonates a more even tone.  So I am parking here.

Be ~ to do, a state of being

Good ~ in classical as well as biblical Greek, ‘noble’, ‘honorable’, ‘admirable’, ‘worthy’

Courage ~ be strong, have the ability to accomplish what is intended, implying an element of resolve is needed as well  strengthen, become powerful, conquer, triumph, formally, be strong, i.e., to defeat an enemy and so have authority over them

Strengthen ~ to make stronger

Heart ~ the term is used of the centre of things

Hope ~ Hope is not a matter of temperament, nor is it conditioned by prevailing circumstances or any human possibilities. It does not depend upon what a man possesses, upon what he may be able to do for himself, or upon what any other human being may do for him.  Biblical hope is inseparable therefore from faith in God.  Because of what God has done and is now doing through Christ, the Christian dares to expect future blessings at present invisible (2 Cor. 1:10). The goodness of God is for him, never exhausted. The best is still to be. His hope is increased as he reflects on the activities of God in the Scriptures.

So now what?  If I put this verse back together after dissecting it, how does it read….

I need to exist in a state of being through my faith in Christ Jesus, prepared to accomplish what is intended and by living in this state of being God will make me stronger from the very center of my being.  By knowing the goodness of God is for them, never exhausted, with the best yet to be, I will truly have the hope of the LORD.  By having this hope I will be able to pursue this state of being, always prepared to act and be strengthened.

What a perfect circle, where each segment connects the next and cannot be completed without the part before or the part after.

Perfectly and exactly God!

So what did I learn?

Tying together yesterday’s verse about finding strength through trust, today I can add courage and hope.

I hadn’t thought about the intentionality of courage.  I am well aware of the fear that always makes itself present when deciding if and how to respond to given situations.  However, I don’t think I’ve ever faced fear from a mindset that I was already in a state of being with God and prepared to accomplish what was intended.  I find this intriguing.  Whatever is before me, I simply need to trust God has been where I was, God is with me now, God will be in the next moment also, God holds the plan, God’s will shall prevail….. I just need to be prepared to follow Him to accomplish what He intended. 

Fear becomes small, if non-existent.   

In placing my hope in God, the goodness of God is for me, never exhausted. The best is still to be. My hope is increased as I reflect on the activities of God in the Scriptures, the activities of God in my life and follow Him in each moment.

Yahweh is means ‘to be’, meaning ‘he is (alive, present, and active)’ or ‘he brings into being.”

I need to live each day as though I was already enjoying the blessings of heaven. I am depriving myself of one of a great treasure from God when I lose this perspective and become bogged down with the silly details of earthly living or chained by fear.

Father, I almost feel like I am rambling, but yet I also feel like you are trying to get me to move to new thinking.  I don’t know whether it is for today or something I will face tomorrow.  Either way, I don’t want to miss Your message, I want to learn and to be prepared.  Please take this and move in my heart and mind so that I may clearly hear.  Father in You alone can I be prepared and courageous and from You alone will I find hope and strength.  I love you father and anticipate more of You this day.  Amen.