I can think of so many scenarios that I would much rather skip. If I had my way, I’d avoid things like child trafficking, slave trafficking, crime, drugs, and wars. On a more personal level, I’d much rather not face things like work stress, health issues, the death of a loved one, or anxiety in general.

But God allows these things for a reason. God never promises us a life free of suffering and pain. God never said if we trusted Him and prayed the right words, He’d take us and transport us over and past the hardships.

What He said and what He promised is that He would be with us in the middle of the hard things. He promised that if we held on with the faith of a mustard seed, He’d be our Prince of peace and give us peace beyond human understanding. We can be brave because we won’t ever face anything that Jesus hasn’t already overcome on the cross.

I’m reading through Job currently. I see Job declared as a righteous man. I see God allowing Job to suffer. I see Job railing at God, questioning God, wrestling with God. But in all the chapters not once did Job quit going to God. Even if it was to yell and scream at God, Job still went to God. As a writer once pointed out, you can’t wrestle with something far off. You can only wrestle with something up close and personal.

In the end, God set Job straight on a few points, but God also rewarded Job for his faithfulness. Job held on to his faith, though almost non-existent at times, and saw God past the end of his suffering.

Bravery isn’t the absence of fear. It’s being scared to death all the way and still going forward and trusting a God that you might not be able to see or hear at the moment but you know He’s there because He said He’s not going anywhere.