Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers? Psalm 94:16 (NLT)
Over a century ago, Reverend Charles Aked declared that “for evil men to accomplish their purpose, it is only necessary that good men should do nothing.” That powerful statement remains as true as ever today.
Speaking up and taking action requires courage. As a preacher’s kid growing up in a small town, I was often the target of bullies. One time, I remember being backed into a corner at school by a much larger kid who started hitting me. I remember not having the strength to escape him because of our size and age difference.
Suddenly, another kid named Owen (who was also older and bigger than me) walked up and said, “You touch him again, and I’ll take you apart!” While Owen had no reason to stick up for me, he did, and he just stood there until the bully finally walked off. That bully never touched me again. Almost fifty years later, I have never forgotten Owen’s courage.
You see, the cowardly way to deal with every situation is to remain silent—to not speak up, not step into a crisis or share our faith to avoid the possibility of awkwardness or offence. It’s disappointing to think that someone with the capability to help would choose not to, simply because they don’t want to get involved or they fear embarrassment.
How many times do we miss opportunities to exercise our faith by remaining silent? Our faith is meaningless to the people around us until we put it into action, and action includes speaking up (James 2:14).
Your courageous words and actions speak volumes when it comes to stopping evil in its tracks.