Courageous Characters

Often when we read the Bible we forget that those living in the pages didn't know the end of the story.  We read the stories as if they had some sort of assurance of success.  This is many times not the case.  The men and women in our Bibles were men and women just like us. 

Over the last several months this has been one of my favorite lines in the entire Bible:

"Elijah was a man just like us.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.  Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops." James 5:17-18 (emphasis added)

"Elijah was a man just like us."

I love that line because too often I read Bible stories like I'm reading Marvel or D.C. comics.  I read about the Hulkish faith of Elijah or the Wonder Woman-like faith of Esther or the Human Torch-like faith of Daniel's friends.  But these men and women, even those of whom we don't get a portrait that includes their flaws, were men and women like us.  Other than Samson's extra-human strength there are no supermen in the Bible.

Yet there are courageous characters like Esther and Daniel's friends.  Let me show you.

"Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me.  Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day.  I and my maids will fast as you do.  When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law.  And if I perish, I perish."   Esther 4:15-16 (emphasis added)

"Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, 'O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter.  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king.  But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."  Daniel 3:16-18 (emphasis added)

"And if I perish, I perish."
"But even if He does not..."

The people in these stories were never given a promise of success or rescue from God.  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego weren't given a revelation from God that they wouldn't be burned to a crisp in the fiery furnace.  Esther had no promise from God that her moody, egotistical husband wouldn't have her killed; in fact, God isn't ever mentioned in the book of Esther.  Yet these men and this young woman had courageous faith.

The common line that I heard again this Sunday is that faith is spelled R-I-S-K.  What is God calling you to faith in?  Where are you being asked to take a risk for your faith?  Do you ever take a risk in faith?  The men and women of the Bible were women and men just like you and I.  These people were not members of the Marvel Universe but they were members of the weak, flawed human race.  If they can have courageous faith you can, too.

Examine your life and ask God where He is asking you to live out a courageous faith today.