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It’s more than an absence of fear

Dave Jackson

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, He called him a “mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12). Was the angel mocking Gideon? The poor guy was secretly threshing grain in a winepress because he feared the Midianites. He was scared silly! So why did the angel call him a mighty warrior? Doesn’t courage demand an absence of fear? Maybe not.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about what enables people to face death with courage. For several months, my wife and I worked with a physician on a book about how people face death courageously, particularly when their suffering is extended by modern medicine. After that, we wrote a book about 16th-century martyrs. In the process, I discovered something about courage. Courage seems to be enhanced most by purpose.

Many of the martyrs spoke with eagerness about taking their turn to “offer up their sacrifice” or “make their witness”. When they asked for prayer, it was not to be miraculously released from their death sentence or to have a more merciful death, but that they would “do well”. I finally began to see that they faced their execution like you or I might go up to bat in a baseball game. We don’t hope to be benched; we only hope to do well. Yes, we might strike out. But, on the other hand, that’s the only position from which we can hit a home run.

That’s what I think the angel of the Lord meant when he told Gideon, “The LORD is with you.” I don’t think it was so much a promise of no suffering as a declaration of divine purpose. Gideon had been given the awesome mission of saving Israel.

In studying modern people who die courageously, I find that they, too, understand a divine purpose: They are committed to God’s sovereignty and love – no matter how great their suffering. Death is the moment for which all of life has prepared them.

Understanding more about how to die courageously has given me new insight into how to live more boldly. I now know that in death or life, my mission should be to accomplish God’s purpose.

Dave and Neta Jackson, of Evanston, Ill., are the authors of many books, including the award-winning Trailblazer series of historical fiction.

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Last modified January 14, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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