Speaking & Living Boldly
In Proverbs 28:1, the teacher tells us that “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
This verse begins a discussion on the psychological differences of the wicked and the righteous and seems particularly relevant as we are nearing the end of our discussion on the armor of God.
Fleeing in battle is the ultimate sign of cowardice. As soldiers of Christ, our armor perfectly outfits us to stay in the fight and ultimately, to speak boldly to others, recruiting others to stand with God. We have been entrusted with the truth, the message of peace, and the word. And we have been provided faith, salvation, and the righteousness of God. What more could we want?
One of my favorite stories when I was little was Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego in Daniel chapter 3.
These three men are faced with a dilemma. I’m guessing we all know the story. Nebuchadnezzer has an enormous idol erected and invites all of the rulers and important dignitaries from the region and surrounding provinces to come to the dedication. As was typical, there would be music at the dedication, and those present are told that when the music plays, they are to fall down and worship the statue. The punishment for declining is also announced - being cast into the midst of a “burning fiery furnace.”
Everything went according to the king’s plan until some of the obviously jealous Babylonian officers noticed that three Jewish men who had been promoted - over the Babylonians - did not comply with the command.
The three are brought before the king and given the option to worship or burn. The king even says, “...what God will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
The boldness of their reply is stunning in its confidence - and in its simplicity. Calling Nebuchadnezzer by his name, the three young men tell him they don’t need to reply to him. The boldness of their response is not lost in their calm. They don’t have to think about the proposition at all. There is no contest between an edict of the king and a command of Jehovah. They tell Nebuchadnezzer that the God they serve is completely capable of delivering them from the fires of the king’s furnace and from the king’s hand as well.
But they continue to say that if God doesn’t deliver them, they have no intention of bowing down to the idol. The threat of death did not stop them from speaking; it did not stop them from trusting in God. They knew that God could keep them safe from the fire, but they had no guarantee that he would.
We all know the end of the story. The king’s fury had him order a fire seven times hotter than ordinary; it was so hot the soldiers who threw them in were incinerated. And yet, by God’s hand and divine intervention, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego come out of the furnace not only free of harm, but they don’t even smell of smoke nor are their robes singed.
The result is that Nebuchadnezzer blesses the God of these men - the God of Israel. He recognizes the faith that the young men had and how their God was above other gods. His conclusion is that “there is no other God that can save in this way.”
The actions of the young men spoke more boldly and with more volume than their words did.
My point is that although we are to speak with boldness the word of God, we have to make sure that our words and our lives don’t speak in contradiction.
As I’ve aged, my definition of speaking with boldness has changed.
In my youth, I thought boldness was forceful and loud…maybe more brash than bold. I also narrowed “speaking” down to only involving actual spoken communication. With age, it seems to me that boldness is much quieter than I imagined and that speaking doesn’t always involve words.
These young Jewish men in Babylonian captivity certainly spoke boldly with their words, but they didn't speak with aggression. They aren’t arguing with the king. They speak clearly and with conviction, but it’s not a contest of wills that they are entering into with Nebuchadnezzer. They are not bargaining for their lives. Their wills are already resolved, and their actions are consistent with their words. They know who God is, and they know that He is able to deliver them even if He decides against it - that is what they say is true with their words and with their actions.
All of our lives are lived as if something is true. That is the case for every person on the planet.
What do our lives say we hold as true? Do our lives speak boldly the gospel of Christ? Most of us speak the words boldly, but do we speak the same things with our actions?
Does my life fearlessly proclaim that I am an ambassador of Christ?
I’m sad to say that too many times mine does not. It’s shameful, and I’m not proud of the fact, but it’s true nonetheless.
One of the things that I talk to young people about is that it’s not complicated to figure out who people are. All you have to do is watch them. You can listen to their words, but with many people, Christians and non-Christians alike, words are just words. You can say anything you like, but when push comes to shove, what do you do?
It’s an important thing to think about because our actions speak boldly, too. In fact, I think they speak more boldly because they speak the truth of who we are.
We must pay attention to the sermon we preach with our daily lives. We speak boldly when we leave a room where people are gossiping, and we speak boldly when we miss soccer practice to attend worship service. We speak boldly in the moments when we think no one is watching, and we serve without congratulating ourselves, discussing all that we’ve done, or complaining about having to serve.
The Father sees, and I believe, others “hear” our lives speaking the mysteries of the gospel of Christ. And that’s when we are true lights and salt and ambassadors - along with Paul, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, showing people our mighty God through the details of our lives.