Our Daily Bread
Tuesday,
May 17, 2022
Uncommon Courage
Take me to the king, and I will interpret his dream for him. Daniel 2:24
In 1478, Lorenzo de Medici, the ruler of Florence, Italy, escaped an attack on his life. His countrymen sparked a war when they tried to retaliate against the attack on their leader. As the situation worsened, the cruel King Ferrante I of Naples became Lorenzo’s enemy, but a courageous act by Lorenzo changed everything. He visited the king unarmed and alone. This bravery, paired with his charm and brilliance, won Ferrante’s admiration and ended the war.
Daniel also helped a king experience a change of heart. No one in Babylon could describe or interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream. This made him so angry that he decided to execute all his advisors—including Daniel and his friends. But Daniel asked to visit the king who wanted him dead (Daniel 2:24).
Standing before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel gave God all the credit for revealing the mystery of the dream (v. 28). When the prophet described and deciphered it, Nebuchadnezzar honored the “God of gods and the Lord of kings” (v. 47). Daniel’s uncommon courage, which was born of his faith in God, helped him, his friends, and the other advisors avoid death that day.
In our lives, there are times when bravery and boldness are needed to communicate important messages. May God guide our words and give us the wisdom to know what to say and the ability to say it well. — Jennifer Benson Schuldt
How has someone’s bravery made a difference in your life? How can you rest in God’s power to act courageously for Him?
Dear Jesus, thank You for the courage You showed during Your life on earth. Fill me with Your wisdom and power when I face tense situations.
FT.BRAGG, NC. That’s where I began my real education (despite having already spent a couple of wasted years in college). Spent a lot of time there in the old WWII wooden barracks on “The Hill”. Studied at Womack Army Hospital, and the JFK Center. Managed to actually pass all the courses. Learned, “No excuse, Sir!”, one of the most important lessons a 20 year old kid can learn in life. Shapes everything that follows. Got my degree from the University there. I’m sure it’s changed since my time. I wonder if the old barracks are still there? I bet not.
I’ll tell you all what insensitive, knuckle dragging, Neanderthals our instructors were. One morning they roused us out of our bunks at maybe 1, or 2, in the morning, told us to dress, and assemble on the Company streets with our inflatable air mattresses, ponchos, and sleeping bags in half an hour. None of us had any idea what to make of it, because they wouldn’t answer any questions, which was unusual. We were never harassed, and always treated with dignity and respect more like disciples than trainees. We were all volunteers, and eager to pass every test. The training was hard enough and failure was NOT an option. Quitting was unthinkable (although surprisingly common). We were NEVER harassed! Now this! It was just weird!
We assembled with our gear and were marched down to the parade field where we did our am PT. We were spaced out (still in formation), instructed to lay out our ponchos, inflate our mattresses (you learn in basic that the ONLY way to inflate a rubber mattress is half full or you bounce around like you’re on a trampoline), spread out our sleeping bags on top of them, take off our boots, jackets, and fatigues, crawl in, zip up, and watch the sky. We had no idea what was going on, it just seemed crazy. No one said a word. It was in November of 1966.
“Whoa!!! You see that?!”
“They’re everywhere!”
“Must be hundreds of ‘em!”
This was the greatest meteor shower of the 20th century! The Leonid Meteor Shower of November 18th, 1966. We lay on our backs until dawn, just awed, warm and comfy in our sleeping bags, and got the rest of the day off.
https://www.space.com/13613-leonid-meteor-shower-peak-1966-storm.html
If it hadn’t been for the Knuckle Dragging Insensitive Neanderthals of the Training Group, we’d have slept through it and never known about it ‘til we woke at our normal 04:30. Wouldn’t have seen it ‘til 05:00.
I am so proud to have become one of those Knuckle Draggers, though the very least of them. I say Knuckle Dragging Insensitive Neanderthals because that’s how our useless, Academia nitwits, who haven’t got half the smarts of any of these men, smugly think of them. These are the very best men I’ve ever known!
The very best that FT. Bragg has to offer. G-d BLESS THEM ALL!
Keep the Faith.
