Courage in Scripture is not the absence of fear. It is trusting God enough to keep going, because he goes with you.
The Bible calls believers to courage that rests on God's presence, not on their own strength. The best-known command is Joshua 1:9, "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee." Other classic verses include Deuteronomy 31:6, Isaiah 41:10 and 2 Timothy 1:7.
Two of these promises have full studies of their own: Joshua 1:9 explained and Isaiah 41:10 explained. When fear is mostly worry about what might happen, the Bible verses about anxiety may help.
A refrain spoken to Israel's leaders at turning points in their history.
Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
The LORD speaks to Joshua after the death of Moses, as Joshua prepares to lead Israel across the Jordan into Canaan.
Courage is commanded, and the command rests on a promise: God will be with Joshua wherever he goes.
Be strong and of a good courage: for unto this people shalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I sware unto their fathers to give them.
The same commission, as God tells Joshua he will lead the people into the land promised to their fathers.
Joshua's courage is tied to a task God has given him, bringing Israel into its inheritance.
Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.
God continues his charge to Joshua, now speaking of the law Moses had given.
Here courage includes faithfulness: holding to God's law without turning aside to the right or the left.
Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.
Moses, near the end of his life, addresses all Israel before they enter the land without him.
The people can face what lies ahead because God himself goes with them and will not forsake them.
And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Moses speaks to Joshua in the sight of all Israel as he hands over leadership.
God goes before Joshua as well as with him, so fear and dismay need not rule him.
And David said to Solomon his son, Be strong and of good courage, and do it: fear not, nor be dismayed: for the LORD God, even my God, will be with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee, until thou hast finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD.
King David charges his son Solomon to build the temple in Jerusalem.
A daunting task is met with courage because God will stay with Solomon until the work is finished.
Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude that is with him: for there be more with us than with him:
King Hezekiah encourages the people of Jerusalem and their captains as the Assyrian army approaches.
Hezekiah reminds the people that God's presence outweighs the size of any threat against them.
Promises that give fearful people a reason to stand.
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
God speaks through the prophet Isaiah to Israel, his chosen servant, at a time when the nations trembled.
Each command not to fear is paired with a promise: God's presence, his strength, his help and his upholding hand.
But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
God addresses Israel as the one he created, formed and redeemed.
Courage rests on belonging: God has called his people by name and claims them as his own.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.
The same passage of comfort to Israel continues with vivid images of danger.
God does not promise the absence of deep waters or fire, but his presence through them.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
David, once a shepherd himself, describes the LORD as his shepherd.
Even in the darkest valley the psalmist refuses to fear, because the Shepherd is with him.
For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father’s house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?
Mordecai urges Queen Esther to risk approaching the Persian king to plead for the lives of her people.
Esther's place in the palace is presented as a calling to act with courage at a decisive moment.
Honest prayers that admit fear and answer it with trust.
The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
A psalm of David expressing confidence in God while surrounded by enemies.
With God as light, salvation and strength, the psalm's questions answer themselves: there is no one left to fear.
Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
The closing line of the same psalm of David.
Courage and waiting belong together; the heart is strengthened as one waits on the LORD.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
The final verse of a psalm of David written out of distress and betrayal.
Those who hope in the LORD are called to be courageous, with God supplying strength to the heart.
What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
According to its title, David wrote this psalm when the Philistines seized him in Gath.
The verse admits fear honestly and answers it with a deliberate decision to trust.
The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?
A psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance, later quoted in the Letter to the Hebrews.
With the LORD on his side, the psalmist sees human threats in their true proportion.
The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
A wisdom saying that contrasts the wicked with the righteous.
A clear conscience before God produces a boldness that guilt cannot, like a lion that does not flee.
Jesus and the early church on fear, faith and boldness.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
Paul, writing from prison near the end of his life, encourages his younger coworker Timothy.
Timidity does not come from God; the Spirit he gives is one of power, love and a sound mind.
As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.
Jesus speaks to Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, just after news arrives that his daughter has died.
In the face of the worst news, Jesus calls for trust rather than fear.
These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Jesus speaks to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion.
Trouble in the world is expected, but courage rests on Christ having overcome the world.
Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
Paul's closing instructions to the church at Corinth.
Courage shows itself in watchfulness and in standing firm in the faith.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
The writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm 118:6 right after recalling God's promise never to leave or forsake his people.
Because God is a helper, believers can speak boldly instead of living in fear of what others may do.
And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
The believers in Jerusalem pray together after Peter and John are threatened by the authorities.
Rather than asking only for safety, the church asks for boldness to keep speaking God's word.
Scripture ties courage to God's presence. Deuteronomy 31:6 says "Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee." Courage in the Bible is less about feeling fearless and more about trusting God enough to act faithfully.
Joshua 1:9 is the most quoted. God spoke it to Joshua as he took over leadership from Moses: "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage." Many also turn to Isaiah 41:10, "Fear thou not; for I am with thee," for the same assurance of God's presence.
Psalm 27:1 asks, "whom shall I fear?" and Psalm 27:14 urges, "be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart." Psalm 56:3 is honest about fear: "What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee." Psalm 23:4 and Psalm 118:6 also speak directly to fear.
Not exactly. Psalm 56:3 begins "What time I am afraid," admitting fear before choosing trust. Biblical courage is acting faithfully while fear is still present. 2 Timothy 1:7 adds that "God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
Joshua 1:7 says "Only be thou strong and very courageous," tying courage to faithfulness to God's law. In 2 Chronicles 32:7 King Hezekiah told the people, "Be strong and courageous, be not afraid nor dismayed," as the Assyrian army approached Jerusalem. Both rest courage on trust in God.
Jesus told Jairus in Mark 5:36, "Be not afraid, only believe," just after hearing that his daughter had died. On the night before the crucifixion he told his disciples in John 16:33, "be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." In both, courage rests on trust in Jesus himself.