CONCLUSION

“Be of Good Courage”

Printed Edition

1. Regarding courage, what remains to be discussed?

Your answer

AT THE end of this book, is there more to be said about courage? Yes. First, note that the Bible says far more on this vital subject than we can discuss in one book. Second, we must emphasize what is needed in order for us to benefit fully from the Bible’s lessons in courage.

2. Who are some other faithful servants of God who displayed courage?

Your answer

² Can you think of others in the Bible record who showed courage besides the ones we have discussed? Perhaps you think of some of the outstanding prophets of the Hebrew Scriptures, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Jonah, or Malachi. Surely the apostle Paul’s inspired words apply to such men; he wrote that some “received their trial by mockings and scourgings, indeed, more than that, by chains and prisons.” Others, he wrote, “were in need, in tribulation, mistreated.” Some were even executed. (Heb. 11:36, 37) Yet, they courageously took their stand for Jehovah God.

3-4. How did two unnamed women help to save King David during a dangerous time?

Your answer

³ Many courageous people are left unnamed in the Bible record. Consider two women from the days of King David. They came to his aid when his own son Absalom, a vain and wicked man, tried to overthrow his father, forcing David to flee Jerusalem. David asked Zadok, a courageous priest, to go back to the city and remain there in order to gather information about Absalom’s next attack. Zadok had to deliver a message to David. At the risk of her life, “a servant girl,” unnamed in the record, relayed Zadok’s news to two faithful servants of David. They, in turn, made their way toward David, but they were spotted by a young man. He told Absalom about them. Wisely, they hid in a well. Another unnamed woman, the wife of the owner of the well, quickly spread a covering over the well and then covered it with grain. When Absalom’s men came looking for those two messengers, she misdirected them. Thanks in part to the courage of those two loyal women, Jehovah’s chosen king was protected!—2 Sam. 15:23-37; 17:8-22.

Collage: Two unnamed women who courageously helped protect King David. 1. A servant girl speaks to David’s two servants. 2. The woman who hid David’s servants in her husband’s well, reflects as two men in the distance walk away from her home. — The courageous servant girl and the brave woman married to the owner of the well

⁴ In truth, the Bible is full of examples of courage. Men and women—named and unnamed, rich and poor, prominent and obscure—courageously took their stand on Jehovah’s side. Their stories can help us today.

The Importance of Prayer

5-7. How did Paul gain the courage he needed in order to face severe opposition?

Your answer

⁵ How can we put the Bible’s examples of courage to use? We need to realize that these men and women were not all simply brave by nature. Did they succeed in serving Jehovah because of their own strength? No, there was more to it than that. What else was needed?

⁶ Remember the apostle Paul. In Philippi, he and Silas were attacked by a mob, stripped of their clothing, beaten repeatedly with rods, then thrown into a dark prison with their feet fastened in stocks. (Acts 16:12, 19-24) After they were released, did Paul struggle with fear? That would be natural. Yet, Paul had an assignment from Jehovah. The city of Thessalonica was his next destination. How did he gain the strength and courage that he needed?

⁷ He later wrote: “Although we had first suffered and been insolently treated in Philippi, as you know, we mustered up boldness by means of our God to tell you the good news of God in the face of much opposition.” (1 Thess. 2:2) Paul knew that he needed boldness in order to do what God asked. But where did he get that boldness? From deep within himself, from some inner reserve? No, he mustered up that boldness “by means of our God.” He humbly asked Jehovah to give him the courage he needed. And Jehovah answered.

8. How may we imitate Paul’s example in acquiring courage?

Your answer

⁸ You can do what Paul did. Don’t worry about whether you can dig deep within yourself to find some hidden reserve of strength and bravery. Instead, go to Jehovah God in prayer and beg him to grant you the boldness and courage that you need.—Acts 4:29.

9. Why would it be wise for us to ask our Father for more faith?

Your answer

⁹ You can also ask your Father for a closely related quality: faith. Faith is part of the fruitage of Jehovah’s holy spirit. (Gal. 5:22, 23) It is also part of the spiritual armor that every Christian needs. (Eph. 6:16) Christian faith is so powerful that the Bible says it “has conquered the world.” (1 John 5:4) Faith in Jehovah is the best basis for courage. When you have deep confidence that Jehovah will help you in your time of need, you will find that your courage grows ever stronger. So every Christian has good reason to echo the request of Jesus’ apostles: “Give us more faith.”—Luke 17:5.

“Take Courage!”

10-11. Why did Paul stress the importance of courage when writing to the Hebrew Christians?

Your answer

¹⁰ When Paul wrote to the Hebrew Christians in and around Jerusalem, he knew that they would soon face dark times. Jesus had foretold the terrible destruction of the city, and that time was fast approaching. (Luke 19:41-44; 21:20-24) How did Paul remind them of the importance of courage? Let us revisit his words, quoted in the Introduction of this book. He referred to Jehovah’s loving promise: “I will never leave you, and I will never abandon you.” How might that promise affect them? Paul added: “So that we may be of good courage and say: ‘Jehovah is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?’”—Heb. 13:5, 6.

¹¹ Although the Bible does not give any details about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., we may be sure of this: The faithful Christians in that city followed Paul’s inspired counsel. They mustered the courage to obey Jesus’ instruction to “begin fleeing to the mountains” at just the right time.—Luke 21:20, 21.

12. (a) How can you be courageous when you face hard times? (b) How have some shown remarkable courage in these last days, and what are you determined to do? (See the box “Imitate Their Courage.”)

Your answers

¹² The same can happen for you when you face hard times today and in the days ahead. (Ezek. 38:1, 2, 10-12; Matt. 24:21) Always remember, we have Jehovah’s own promise of protection. (Ezek. 38:19-23; 2 Thess. 3:3) He will never abandon those who love him and put their faith in him. What Jehovah said to Joshua applies to you as well. You can “be courageous and very strong”! (Josh. 1:7, 9, 18) Always remember Jesus’ heartfelt words: “Take courage!” He will never fail in his promise to send you Jehovah’s holy spirit, boosting your courage so that you can face any and every trial. (John 14:26; 15:26, 27; 16:33) You truly can “be of good courage”!

Collage: Brothers and sisters courageously dealing with trials. 1. A teenage sister in a classroom smiles confidently as she holds a school textbook and the brochure “Was Life Created?” 2. At a refugee camp, parents wrap their arms around their young daughter as they all smile. 3. A young brother smiles as he looks through the bars of his prison cell. — No matter what our circumstances may be, Jehovah promises to use his holy spirit to boost our courage so that we can face any and every trial

Imitate Their Courage

Martin and Gertrud Poetzinger

Martin and Gertrud had been married for only three and a half months and were enjoying their full-time ministry together when Adolf Hitler’s Nazi regime tore them apart. Martin was suddenly arrested in 1936, and he was eventually taken to the concentration camp at Dachau. Later, Gertrud was arrested as well. For nine long years, they did not see each other. For much of that time, neither one knew if the other was still alive. But both were determined to keep their integrity. Martin was transferred to the notorious Mauthausen concentration camp where he was subjected to indescribable brutality. Gertrud was sentenced to three and a half years in solitary confinement, after which she was forced to spend another four years in the Ravensbrück concentration camp. When the war ended, she discovered that Martin was alive. She pleaded with a military official for Martin’s release, which helped to secure the release of 100 other Witnesses who had survived the horrors of Mauthausen. Reunited at last, Martin and Gertrud again served together in the full-time ministry. Eventually they came to Brooklyn, New York, where Martin became a member of the Governing Body of Jehovah’s Witnesses. He often told his brothers and sisters: “Courage is the best asset you can have!” Both served Jehovah faithfully and joyously till death.

“Courage is the best asset you can have!”—M. Poetzinger

Valentina Garnovskaya

Valentina was living in Belarus when she first met one of Jehovah’s Witnesses in 1945. She was about 20 years old. She loved what she learned about the Bible from that conversation and from two subsequent ones. But she never saw that Witness again. And because of a ban on Jehovah’s Witnesses, it was difficult to contact them. Yet, she bravely shared what she had learned with others. For doing that, she was arrested and sentenced to eight years in a prison camp. When she was released in 1953, she immediately resumed sharing Bible truths with people. So she was arrested again, and this time was sentenced to ten more years in the camps. In one camp, she met several Witness women. They had a forbidden book—a Bible. When one of them showed it to Valentina, it was the first time she had laid her eyes on that sacred book since her first conversation with a Witness many years earlier. After she was freed in 1967, Valentina was baptized as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She shared zealously in the ministry until she was arrested again in 1969 and sentenced to another three years of imprisonment. Yet, she continued to witness steadfastly. By the time of her death in 2001, she had helped some 44 people to learn the truth of God’s Word. Looking back on her life, she said: “I never had my own place to live. All my possessions were in a single suitcase, but I was happy and content in serving Jehovah.”

“I never had my own place to live. All my possessions were in a single suitcase, but I was happy and content in serving Jehovah.”—V. Garnovskaya

Alfredo Fernández

Alfredo was in his late teens when he was summoned to serve in the Argentine military. His Christian conscience told him to refrain from all warfare of this world, so he refused to enlist or put on a military uniform. He was sent to prison as a conscientious objector, where he suffered abuses, such as mock executions, and torture. But he kept reading his Bible and taking notes on what he was learning. At his trial, the judge offered him freedom if he would only wear the military uniform to court. He steadfastly refused. So he was sent back to prison. As a result of torture, he became severely ill. The prison doctor said that he expected to see Alfredo next in a casket. Realizing that his end was near, Alfredo sent a letter home. “My beloved family,” he began, “I never wished to write you a letter like this. However, the circumstances have made it necessary.” He thanked them for all the moral support they had given him during his imprisonment. He wrote: “I am immensely thankful to our loving God, Jehovah, for allowing me to belong to a family like this. . . . I understand the anguish you will experience while reading these words. I only ask that you not allow the pain to drag you down but rather that you prevail against it. Turn to the inexhaustible source of comfort that the Holy Scriptures provide. . . . Always remember that death is a transitory state, so I only hope that your memory of me encourages you to remain strong.” After three years of imprisonment, Alfredo died at 21 years of age in 1982, faithful to the end.

“I only ask that you not allow the pain to drag you down but rather that you prevail against it.”—A. Fernández

Karen Oehm

Karen had been a happy, outgoing minister of Jehovah’s Witnesses from her youth. She loved her pioneer service, then her life at Bethel in the United States along with her husband, Rainer. But in her mid-50’s, she was stricken with a deadly illness: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). It attacks and kills nerve cells, leading to a loss of muscle control, paralysis, and death. From the start, Karen was determined to make the best of a grim situation. She poured herself into her personal study and ministry as long as she could, while working hard to manage the disease as it progressed. As she began losing her ability to speak, she learned to use a computer that tracked her eye movements, allowing her to spell out words on the screen. Using that painstaking process, she was able to write out comments for Christian meetings and to share in the ministry by means of letter writing. One of her nurses, a fellow Christian, recalled: “She never asked, ‘Why me?’ Just two weeks before she died, she wrote a letter to a woman whom I preach to, and she closed with, ‘If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.’” Another nurse said: “She never cried about her diagnosis. She had many reasons to feel despair, but her strong faith in the resurrection made despair illogical to her. She knew that she was going to wake up and that Jehovah would make her healthy and perfect.” When Karen first got sick, her twin sister asked, “How are you able to be so strong?” Karen simply replied: “Jehovah really does give you the strength you need.” That proved true to the end. After Karen died, her husband delivered a number of letters that she had written to thank, comfort, and encourage family members and friends.

“Jehovah really does give you the strength you need.”—K. Oehm

13. What moves you to keep showing courage today?

Your answer

¹³ Picture the time when this whole earth will be at peace, and we will welcome back from the dead all those whom Jehovah kept safe in his memory. Imagine meeting the men and women of courage whom we have discussed in this book—and so many more! Do you think that any of them will regret that they chose to serve Jehovah in Satan’s old world, even paying for their courage with their lives? Of course not! And what about you? As you work alongside them to help transform this earth into a global paradise, will you ever regret the courage and love for Jehovah that you showed during these last days? Certainly not! Be determined, then, to keep showing courage, right down to the end. For all eternity, you will be glad that you did!