Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD
These photos were taken while I was reaching the peak of Mount Kinabalu several years ago. The summit push was the most dangerous part of the climb because of the thin air caused by the altitude, the steepness of certain terrains, and also the fog which could hinder visibility. Although Mount Kinabalu is not considered a difficult mountain to conquer among her peers, I pushed myself very hard before I completed the route. I had to deal with a number of physical obstacles like the cold wind, and my own fatigue. But more importantly, I had to address the doubt and fear of being overwhelmed by the challenge before me.
Psalm 31:24 reads,
“Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.”
Our hope in God was meant to give us courage, to allow us to overcome one of the greatest adversaries we face in life – fear.
We fear uncertainties, we fear inadequacies, and we fear difficulties. In Psalm 31, we see how even David, the man who defeated Goliath, expressed his fears when faced with the trials in his life. These were his words penned in Psalm 31:9-13,
“Have mercy on me, O LORD, for I am in trouble… my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing… I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind, I am like a broken vessel… fear is on every side…”.
Even though we may not be able to prevent the things which we fear from coming our way, we can seek to hope in God. David overcame his fears and faced his challenges with courage because he hoped in God’s deliverance and goodness.
“My times are in Your hand, deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and those who persecute me”
– Psalm 31:15“Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!”
– Psalm 31:19
I “conquered” Mount Kinabalu during that climb. However I know that there will be other “mountains”, in the form of challenges and uncertainties that I will be afraid of, that I will never be able to overcome by myself. When that happens, I want to hope in God. I want to hope in a God who will give me courage, a God who will strengthen my heart to face any difficulty in life.