The Source of Unfailing Courage
“A HISSING sound caused us to stop dead in our tracks. Then, from a bush to our left, two birds ran toward us with outstretched wings. In front of us, two eggs lay in a small depression in the ground. The birds had prevented us from accidentally treading on their nest. Each time we tried to get closer and take a photograph of the lovely brown-spotted eggs, the birds repeated their threat display. ‘How courageous,’ we thought.”
That was the experience of four adults on approaching the nest of a spotted dikkop. A smaller bird is the blacksmith plover. In the book Everyone’s Guide to South African Birds, ornithologists Sinclair and Mendelsohn explain: “Breeding pairs protect their nest and young vigorously and become very aggressive at the approach of any intruder. They are undaunted by the size of the trespasser and fly up calling harshly, fearlessly dive-bombing even humans in an attempt to warn them off.”
Some have watched individual large elephants unintentionally walk in the direction of a blacksmith plover’s nest, only to set off the bird’s display. The elephants usually oblige by making a detour.
Where do birds get such apparent courage? It originates with the One who created them. Jehovah God has programmed these small creatures with instinctive mechanisms to prevent larger animals from doing harm to their nests or young chicks.
A Lesson for Christians
Christians can learn a lesson from this, even though they want to go beyond mere instinctive courage. They are called upon to imitate their Master, Jesus Christ, who fearlessly obeyed God’s commandments. (Hebrews 12:1-3) The Bible condemns cowards who shrink back from serving God. (Hebrews 10:39; Revelation 21:8) At the same time, Jehovah understands our imperfect makeup and knows that we may at times sin or lack the courage needed to do his will fully. (Psalm 103:12-14) What can a person do if fear causes him to hold back from doing what is right?
A Christian must prayerfully turn to God for strength to face trials and keep on doing the divine will. The Bible contains this reassuring promise of Jehovah’s help: “He is giving to the tired one power; and to the one without dynamic energy he makes full might abound. Boys will both tire out and grow weary, and young men themselves will without fail stumble, but those who are hoping in Jehovah will regain power. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not tire out.” (Isaiah 40:29-31) Many imperfect humans have experienced the truth of these words and ‘from a weak state have been made powerful.’ (Hebrews 11:34) A good example was the Christian apostle Paul, who wrote: “The Lord stood near me and infused power into me, that through me the preaching might be fully accomplished and all the nations might hear it.”—2 Timothy 4:17.
Even newly interested persons who want to become followers of Jesus Christ can experience such strengthening aid. Consider a South African man named Henry, who was the treasurer of his church and lived next door to his pastor. Henry was searching for the truth. Despite his attachment to the church, one day he accepted the offer of a free home Bible study with Jehovah’s Witnesses. In time, he expressed the desire to become a Witness and asked what steps he had to take to reach that goal. It was explained that he would first have to resign from his church. (Revelation 18:4) Since the pastor was his neighbor and friend, Henry felt that he could not just write a letter of resignation but would need to explain the matter face-to-face. This he courageously did.
The pastor was shocked and later took the moderator and other members of the church to visit Henry. They wanted to know why he had left their church to become a member of a religion that, according to them, does not have God’s holy spirit. “At first, I was afraid to answer them,” explained Henry, “because they had always had great influence over me. But I prayed to Jehovah for help, and he enabled me to make this defense: ‘Of all international religions, which is the only one that uses God’s name, Jehovah? Is it not Jehovah’s Witnesses? Do you think God would allow them to bear his name and not also give them his holy spirit?’” The church officials were unable to refute such reasoning. Thankful for the knowledge and strength that God provides, Henry now courageously shares with Jehovah’s Witnesses in the door-to-door ministry.
Yes, being a true Christian takes courage. As this world’s end draws near, tests of faith will increase. Satan wants to rob God’s servants of their wonderful hope of everlasting life by trying to break their integrity to Jehovah. (Compare Revelation 2:10.) But we must never give up. Even if we suffer a temporary setback because of fear, Jehovah can help us to recover. Keep looking to him for strength to keep on doing his will. Remember, he who created fearless birds is the Source of unfailing courage. Indeed, true Christians should “be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”—Hebrews 13:6.