When Hope Gives Courage a Voice

Hope and courage are closely connected. Hope reminds us there is still something ahead, while courage helps us take the next step toward it. In this episode of Our Journey to Hope, we explore how even a small amount of hope can give us the courage to keep moving when life feels uncertain or difficult. We may not need courage for everything tomorrow holds. We simply need enough hope to take the next step today.

Transcript

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Hello friends, I'm your host, Dr. Dave Leighton, and thank you for joining me on our journey to hope. This podcast is a place where together we explore how to discover, sustain, and sometimes regain hope. Wherever you're listening, let's take a deep breath, open our hearts, and continue this journey towards hope. And remember, no one walks alone. Today's episode is brought to you by Come and See Publications. If today's message encouraged you, I invite you to visit Come and See Publications.com. You'll discover devotional books, Bible studies, and other Christ-centered resources to help you continue growing in your faith. That's Come See Publications.com. In today's episode, I'm looking at a concept very closely tied to hope. I'm calling this episode When Hope Gives Courage a Voice. When I think of these two concepts, hope and courage, I'm not envisioning the loud superhero count of courage. And I'm not looking at a naive, high in the sky form of hope. I'm thinking about the kind of hope and courage that shows up quietly when challenges in life are heavy, when things are uncertain, and plain hard. Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it whispers. Sometimes it says, I'll try one more time. Sometimes it says, I'll take one more step. And sometimes that one step is all hope asks of us today. Hope and courage are related and need each other, but they are not the same thing. Hope is that often quiet voice that reminds us that there is still a future for us to travel to. Courage is what answers that voice by encouraging us to continue taking the next steps. Hope says, there is still something ahead of me. And it says, This difficult moment does not have to be the end of my story. And hope reminds us that God is still present, still working, and still able to lead us forward. And when we begin to believe there is a tomorrow worth moving toward, something happens inside of us, and we take a step. That step may be small. It may be making the phone call we've been putting off. It may be getting out of bed and facing another difficult day. It may be asking someone for help. And it may be trying again after disappointment. It may simply be praying, God, I don't know what comes next, but I trust you and you walk with me. That is courage. Without hope, courage has no reason to rise. And without courage, hope is stuck in the world of wishful thinking. So which comes first? Well that's an important question. I think hope comes first. Courage comes because of hope. Some think we need courage to find hope, whether it's a small spark, a soft promise, or a reminder that our life story is not finished yet. Once hope takes root, courage begins to grow. Not because fear disappears, but because hope is giving fear competition. Just so we understand it, courage is not fearlessness. Courage is when we say, I'm scared, but I'll trust anyway. You can probably envision a small child standing on the edge of a pool while Dad encourages him or her to jump into the water. Don't be afraid, he states, I'll catch you. So the child jumps with trust that dad will be there. That's not fearlessness, it's courage, it's trust. Courage also says, I don't have all the answers, but I'll move forward anyway. It might even say, This hurts, but I'm staying with it to the end. Hope gives birth to courage, and courage gives us another reason to hope. Hope gives courage permission to exist, and in the midst of fear, not instead of it. There are many scriptures that remind us that hope is an anchor for our souls. And when we understand God is at work and we seek to do his will, even when we might not understand it, courage becomes an act of trust. Here's some examples you're probably familiar with. Moses stepped forward to lead Israel from Egyptian slavery, even though he had doubts in himself. David faced Goliath with courage rooted in his faith in God. The first century Christians spread the gospel of hope that they had found in Jesus Christ, even though they didn't have all the answers. One of my favorite heroes in the Old Testament is Joshua. God, through Moses, had chosen Joshua to lead the people. Now Joshua was preparing Israel to enter the promised land after forty long years of wandering in the desert. Well, naturally, Joshua had second thoughts. But wait a minute, wasn't Joshua one of the spies that forty years earlier reminded the people that God was leading them and to have courage to enter Canaan? Wasn't it he and Caleb the only two among the twelve that said, Trust God and take the land? Well yes. But now, forty years later, and wearing the responsibility of leading God's people, he wanted to know he was up to the task. Several times he was reminded by the people he was leading and by God himself to take courage because God was with him. You might be thinking, well, that's all well and good for those giants of faith, but I don't have that fully developed faith. My hope is small and my courage is weak. That probably describes most of us at some point. But remember, even small hope can produce real courage, and courage, even in small steps, can carry us farther than we can even imagine. So perhaps you don't need enough courage today for everything that might happen tomorrow. We simply need enough hope to take the next step, and then tomorrow comes and we take another. So keep stepping out in hope and courage will grow. Remember the illustration I gave of the dad encouraging the child to trust him and take the leap? Well your heavenly father is encouraging you to trust him. Pray to him and take the leap. He's there with you. If you're listening today and feel low on courage, don't be discouraged. You may not need to have more courage. You may just need to strengthen the hope you have. That's what this podcast is all about. Have you ever noticed that it's easier to step out when you're not alone? Well, always remember you are not alone. Well, thank you for joining us on our journey to hope. For more articles, videos, devotionals, books, and encouragement, please visit ComeandSee Publications.com. That's Comeandse Publications.com. I'm your host Dave Leighton. Until next time, remember no one walks alone.