Psalm 27:¹³ I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. ¹⁴Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.

Does this reference mean you and I can have ‘good courage’ by trusting in the goodness of the LORD and waiting for His solution in difficult circumstances?

Would trusting in ourselves and our own abilities and resources be ’bad courage’?

What do you know of the goodness of the LORD?

Checking the concordance, I was amazed to see how often the Bible refers to ‘good courage’.

In this series we will examine these occurrences to answer these questions.

After 39 chapters about judgment and chastisement, Isaiah extols the greatness of God.

Isaiah 40:²⁵ To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One. ²⁶Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth. ²⁷Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God? ²⁸Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. ²⁹He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. ³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ³¹But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Which characteristic of God’s greatness stands out most for you?

What did you learn about the goodness of the LORD in this passage?

What did you learn of ‘good courage’ in this passage?

Idol worshipers react to the greatness of God by encouraging each other to fashion more idols

Isaiah 41:¹ Keep silence before me, O islands; and let the people renew their strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment. ²Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made him rule over kings? he gave them as the dust to his sword, and as driven stubble to his bow. ³He pursued them, and passed safely; even by the way that he had not gone with his feet. ⁴Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. ⁵The isles saw it, and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came. ⁶They helped every one his neighbour; and every one said to his brother, Be of good courage. ⁷So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved.

How can the idol makers believe their courage to be good?

Have you ever believed your own courage to be good?

What did you learn about the goodness of the LORD in this passage?

Isaiah reminds Israel of the LORD

Isaiah 41:⁸ But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend. ⁹Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. ¹⁰Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ¹¹Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. ¹²Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. ¹³For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. ¹⁴Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

When the enemy seems strong, the LORD is still in control. His promises are sure.

Do you have a favorite Bible passage or promise to rest on when your enemy seems strong?

What did you learn about the goodness of the LORD in this passage?

Our focus = Hebrews 12:¹Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, ² 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 is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Our challenge = Dearly Beloved,

Run with your eyes on Jesus alone!

Run in faith that Jesus loves you, has uniquely designed and created only one you, has a good  plan for your life, runs with you and will accomplish His purposes for you and through  you!

Run in His strength alone!

Run with your eyes on the prize!

Run with the desire to finish strong!

Run with the desire to finish with your lamp burning!

Run with the expectation of being in His physical presence when you cross your finish line!

Run to His glory alone!

Run and keep on running!

Coach Patti