"We take courage in God; for He will tread down our foes." —Psalm 108:13
Psalm 108 is a hybrid psalm, a blending of two texts: Psalm 57:7-11 and Psalm 60:5-12. Both speak to those who are timid and afraid. The last line is the punch line: "We take courage in God…" (108:13).
As a child I loved The Wizard of Oz and, being a quiet, shy child, I was drawn to the Cowardly Lion. In the end, as you know, the lion was given a medal for valor. “Look what it says," he exclaimed, "'COURAGE’. Ain’t it the truth, ain’t it the truth!”
Physical courage is one thing, but moral courage is another. Ofttimes, the hardest and bravest battles are fought within. Emily Dickinson wrote,
To fight aloud is very brave,But gallanter, I know,Who charge within the bosom,The cavalry of woe.
Courage (or fortitude) is the name we give to this virtue.
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, it's the virtue that gives strength to all the other virtues. Chastity, honesty, patience, mercy are hard-earned virtues in a world like ours, and hard to maintain. Courage enables us to persevere.
Aquinas wrote, ”The principal act of fortitude is endurance, that is, to stand immovable in the midst of dangers.” Courage is "a long obedience in the right direction”; it is doing the right thing over the long haul despite the consequences. It is sticking with a difficult and demanding marriage; staying in a small place when prominence beckons; refusing to betray a moral principle to get along, or to get ahead; setting aside self-interest to serve the interest of others. We can do these things because God is with us, treading down the enemy of our souls.
There’s a memorable scene in C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle, in which Jill Pole asks, “What do you think is inside the stable? Who knows?” Tirian replies. “Two Calormenes with drawn swords, as likely as not, one on each side of the door... There’s no knowing. But courage, child. We are all between the paws of the true Aslan."
Ain't it the truth! Ain’t it the truth!
David Roper
6.16.21
