In the book of Romans, we read in chapter 5, verse 7:
Romans 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
Desmond T. Doss was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1942. A devout Seventh Day Adventist, he chose to be a medic rather than to bear arms.
In the spring of 1945, his battalion was stationed in Okinawa, where they were fighting to capture a long cliff, controlled at the top by enemy forces. On Saturday, May 5th, his battalion attacked. Doss was the only medic available, and despite the fact that it was his Sabbath, Doss went, telling himself that "Christ healed seven days a week."
The attack almost succeeded, but the enemy counterattacked, causing many casualties and driving the U.S. forces back down the cliff.
Doss stayed behind. One by one, he tended the wounded, dragged them to the edge of the cliff, and lowered them down to the bottom in a rope sling. Each time he did so he prayed, "Dear God, let me get just one more man." By day's end he had singlehandedly rescued seventy-five men!
There are many records in the Word of God in which men and women exhibited courage under fire.
David was just a young lad when Israel and the Philistines were at war.
1 Samuel 17:1 And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath...1 Samuel 17:10 And the Philistine said, I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.
Goliath was a fearsome giant of a man, and the result was that he struck fear into the hearts of King Saul and the entire Israelite Army.
1 Samuel 17:11 When Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid.
Israel's fear in part allowed Goliath to dictate the terms of the battle. Any good military commander will tell you that to be successful you, not the enemy, dictate the terms of the battle.
David went to visit his brothers in the army. He was present when Goliath challenged Israel, but he didn't respond fearfully.
1 Samuel 17:32 And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine.
Why wasn't David full of fear like the others? Verses 34-37 tells us why.
1 Samuel 17:34-37 34And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock 35And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him 36Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. 37David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine.
David already had a close relationship with God. He remembered what God had done for him in the past, and he succeeded against Goliath because he trusted God and acted accordingly.
There are many other courageous men and women in the Bible. For example, Moses, Daniel, Esther, Elijah, and Mary to name just a few. Their examples of courage in difficult situations are equally inspirational.
In the book of Acts, a disciple named Ananias was also facing a difficult situation. God told him, in chapter ten, to go and minister to a man named Saul. However,
Acts 10:13-14 13Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
Ananias was concerned for his safety, and he told God so. But God commanded him to go to Saul. Ananias trusted God. He showed his courage by obeying God, and ministered to Saul.
No examination of human courage can be complete without including the Lord Jesus Christ. More than any man who ever lived, Jesus acted courageously in situations in which others would have fainted.
He knew from his study of the scriptures what kind of situations awaited him. For example,
NIV Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.
Imagine how thrilled you would be reading this about yourself. But Jesus also read,
Isaiah 50:6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
That doesn't sound too pleasant. And it gets worse!
NIV Isaiah 53:3-6 3He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 4Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. 6We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
When Jesus first realized that this was a prophesy for his life, it must have been horrifying and sobering. And in the Gospels we see these prophecies come to pass.
Jesus knew what he faced and when it would happen, but he didn't waver.
He steadfastly trusted and obeyed God, and God rewarded him for doing so. His is the ultimate example of Courage Under Fire.
Thankfully, the Lord Jesus did for us, with regard to salvation and healing, what we could never do for ourselves. But we still have an adversary who is cruel and personal, and there will be times in life when courage will be needed in the face of his attacks.
Like men and women in the armed forces, we need to train ourselves so we will be able to react successfully when our time in "combat" comes. Jesus trusted God and trained himself in the scriptures. To be successful, we can do no less!ÿ