Re:Verse passage – Daniel 10:1-21 (day three)
“O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; take courage and be courageous!”
Anybody know how many times the Bible addresses the human tendency toward fear? Gotta be a pretty high number. Anyway, it’s instructive that the scriptures don’t tell us merely to buck up. That’s the way we often dispense advice about courage, you know. We say things like: “Don’t worry.” “Think about something else.” “It’s not that bad.” I don’t know. Sometimes it really is that bad. The Bible will never pretend that you can shut fear off like a light switch. Therefore, with every admonition to put an end to fear you will find – explicitly or by strong implication – a declaration that the Lord himself has drawn near. The words “Take courage” are an announcement that God has come to you.
Bryan, I love that last paragraph you wrote…
If I’m out of courage, WHO do I take it from? From where do I receive it? If the Lord is commanding me to “take courage”, it is SO reasonable to think He IS near enough offering it to me for the taking.
The mental picture of that in my head is very encouraging and offers the feeling of being so loved.