Find Courage With God's Promise

Do You Listen to the News? How Does It Make You Feel?

Today’s news is full of fighting within the government and fighting between nations; there is bad news of all kinds. It can leave us feeling depressed, cynical, and fearful. But does the Bible have anything to say about all this?

Speaker Sharon Edmundson believes it does. The Bible explains why we have trouble in the world and gives us insights that help us navigate it. Through the story of Paul facing yet another life-threatening situation, Sharon unpacks what it really means to have courage—and where that courage actually comes from.

Why Do We Have Trouble?

Before diving into Paul's story, Sharon laid out the different sources of trouble in our lives:

Sometimes trouble comes from living in a cursed world. The book of Genesis tells us that when God created the world, it was good, but soon after it came under a curse. So some of the trouble we have in life is because we live in a cursed world that isn't working completely how it was designed to work. Maybe you're suffering from illness through no fault of your own.

Some trouble is because of our own stupidity, bad decisions, or sin. Sin is a Bible word for our rebellion against God and his ways. Sharon was honest: "Some of the trouble in my life has been caused by getting into relationships that I knew weren't right or making silly financial decisions and getting into debt."

Some trouble is caused by the sin of other people. The child knocked over by the drunk driver. The war caused by the pride, greed, and selfishness of others.

Some is caused by a mixture of the above. For example, where poorer people are affected much more from adverse weather conditions because they're living in poor quality housing in areas more susceptible to disaster.

Some trouble is caused by walking away from God. He's good and all his ways are good. The Bible says that every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights. When we turn our backs on God, we turn our backs on the source of all goodness.

But there's another reason we can have trouble in our lives, as we see in Paul's story.

Paul in Trouble—Again

If you're new to Crowd or the Christian faith, here's some background. Saul (later called Paul) was a very religious Jew who had been so passionate about his faith that he had approved of Christians being killed. He believed what they were teaching was wrong and would draw people away from God.

But then he had a dramatic experience where Jesus appeared to him in a vision and basically told him that what the Christians were teaching was true. That although he'd been passionately religious, he'd been passionately wrong. So he became a follower of Jesus and went on missionary journeys to spread the message—getting into lots of trouble along the way.

In Acts 23, he's in trouble again. He'd been teaching in the temple in Jerusalem for seven days when another group of Jews stirred up the crowd against him and falsely accused him. They dragged him out of the temple with the intention of killing him. The Romans, the occupying force at the time, got wind of what was going on and sent soldiers to intervene. They took Paul to their barracks to be interviewed and whipped.

As he was about to be whipped, Paul mentioned he was a Roman citizen—which scared the commander, as it was illegal to scourge a Roman citizen.

The commander wanted to find out exactly why Paul was being accused, so the next day he ordered the chief priests and the Sanhedrin to assemble. Paul looked straight at them and said, "My brothers, I fulfilled my duty to God in all good conscience to this day."

At this, the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near Paul to strike him on the mouth. (Ananias means "Jehovah is Gracious," but actually, he had a reputation for being a bit of a tyrant.)

Paul responded: "God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck."

Paul compared the high priest to a badly maintained and unsafe wall that was made to look okay with a lick of paint. Basically, he was calling Ananias a hypocrite—there to judge Paul's case on the basis of Jewish law, yet ordering actions that went contrary to it.

Knowing he wasn't about to get a fair hearing, Paul used a clever approach. He knew some of them were Sadducees and others Pharisees—two religious sects that disagreed about certain things, including the resurrection. So Paul called out: "My brothers, I'm a Pharisee descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead."

This caused a dispute to break out between the two groups. Some Pharisees even argued, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"

The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces. He ordered troops to take Paul away by force and bring him into the barracks.

The Verse That Changes Everything

Then comes the verse Sharon wanted to focus on:

"The following night, the Lord stood near Paul and said, Take courage, as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

Sharon drew out two key insights from this verse.

Sometimes Trouble Comes Because We're Doing the Right Thing

The first insight: sometimes trouble comes not because we've turned our backs on God and are out of his will, but because we're right in the will of God, doing the right thing at the right time.

God stood near Paul and spoke to him. One thing the Lord doesn't do is have a go at Paul for being in trouble again. Paul's in trouble because he's doing exactly what God wants him to do.

"So sometimes we can have trouble because of our faith, not in spite of it. If you're following God because someone told you it would give you a trouble-free life, you've been missold. This is not the good news about Jesus."

Sharon was direct: "If you're considering whether or not to follow Jesus, know that following him doesn't mean a trouble-free life. But it is a life worth living. To be honest, you're going to have some kind of trouble whether or not you follow him. Better to have trouble with God on your side, rather than to have trouble with God against you."

Courage Is a Choice, Not a Feeling

The second insight: God told Paul to be courageous—to have courage. Some translations say "be of good cheer." The words were spoken when Paul was in a very fear-inducing situation.

"Taking courage doesn't necessarily mean that the feeling of fear no longer exists. After all, we walk by faith, not by feeling."

Sharon looked up the dictionary definition: courage is "the ability to do something that frightens one, or bravery. Or strength in the face of pain or grief. Or the ability to control your fear in dangerous or difficult situations."

The phrase "take courage" suggests something active, not passive. It suggests a choice. We can choose to give in to fear, or we can choose to face the situations that make us afraid. We can choose to do what is right, even if that is costly.

The Pattern in Scripture

Sharon looked up other passages in the Bible that use the phrase "take courage" or say to be courageous. She noticed a pattern: the command is always followed by a reason to be courageous. And the reason is never that we're enough on our own. The reason is always to do with God's presence, or his promises, or both.

For example, Deuteronomy says: "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you."

The reason given to be courageous is that God is with the person and won't leave him.

A Boy in an MRI Scanner

Sharon shared a story from a friend (who doesn't want to be named, but was happy for the story to be shared).

Not long after her friend's son was born, he developed a cyst on his spine and spent a lot of time in hospital. The doctors said he could end up paralysed. He was operated on and the operation was a success—they were told the cyst would not come back. It did come back, and he was operated on again. More recently, the cyst came back again and he had to have an MRI scan, lying still in the scanner for quite some time.

It can be scary to be in such an enclosed space for so long, and the friend was worried about her son being scared. But over the years of his short life, because of his health problems, he had learned to pray and to know God's presence.

He wasn't worried. He said, "Mum, how can I be scared when God's with me?"

How great is the faith of children.

Courage from God's Promises

Back to the verse: "The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, Take courage. As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

This time the reason God gives to have courage is a promise about the future. He was basically saying: you'll survive this current incident and you'll go to Rome. This is an example of how remembering God's promises can give us courage.

Sharon shared her own experience: "Years ago when my mind was one big mess, I felt like giving up on faith. The following verses gave me courage to continue. Jesus said, if you hold to my teaching, you're really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free."

Eventually, as she dug into God's word and started to understand who he was, who he made her to be, and how life operated, the freedom he talked about became her experience.

More recently, Sharon needed to confront someone about something. Like most people, she doesn't particularly like confrontation, but she knew she had to do it. She didn't have peace about how to go about it and was worried about the outcome.

"I prayed a lot about it, and I talked to a few friends, and then one friend said one sentence that I just knew was the way ahead. I felt like I'd heard from God, it gave me such clarity and I just had peace about how to handle the situation and peace that even if it all blew up in my face, that God was bigger."

Jesus Had Courage Too

Jesus had the courage to face dying on a cross because of looking ahead to what was promised. Hebrews says:

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us. And let us run with endurance the race that is set before us looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Emmanuel—God With Us

When we think about God coming to earth in the form of Jesus, we remember God's presence with us and his promises.

The Bible prophesied Jesus coming centuries before he actually came: "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel."

Immanuel means God with us.

The story of Jesus’ birth also gives us examples of people of courage. Mary had courage—an angel appeared to her and told her she would supernaturally have a baby. She wasn't married. She hadn't slept with anyone. She'd have a bit of explaining to do to her fiancé and risked being an outcast in society. Yet her response was to say, "I'm the Lord's servant, may your word to me be fulfilled."

Joseph also had courage. Mary's pregnancy could have been a source of great shame to him in the community, but he stood by her.

Your Next Step

Here are some practical ways to engage with this:

1. Identify your fear-inducing situations – What situations in your life right now make you fearful or anxious? Name them honestly before God.

2. Remember that courage is a choice – Taking courage doesn't mean the fear disappears. It means choosing to face the situation anyway, knowing God is with you.

3. Ask God for his promises for your situation – Sharon asked, "Have you asked him what his promises are for your situation?" Dig into Scripture or pray and listen for what God might be saying.

4. Encourage someone else – The Bible tells us to encourage one another and build each other up. Is there someone struggling who needs your encouragement to keep going? Remind them of God's presence and his promises.

5. Consider the step you need to take – Maybe you're thinking about following Jesus but it feels scary. Like Mary and Joseph, you might face ridicule or shame. Have courage. Look beyond yourself to the one who will make all things right in the end.

He Will Wipe Away Every Tear

Sharon closed with these words from Revelation about the life to come:

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There'll be no more death, or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

As Christ followers, we have hope for this life, but we also have a hope for the life after death—an eternal life we get to spend with our loving Heavenly Father.

What situations are you facing now where you need to choose courage? Know that God is with you even if you can't feel it, and he's promised never to leave you.

Keep going. Don't give up.