Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” … and he became anguished and distressed. Matthew 26:36-37
Courage isn’t about losing fear—it’s about not letting it lead.
Alex was one of 33 miners trapped underground in Chile for 69 days. Years later, he still woke from nightmares, haunted by the darkness. Determined not to let fear control his life, he made a difficult choice. He returned to a mine. Each day, he went a little further inside. He couldn’t force the fear away, but he could face it.
The courage Alex showed is closer to the courage we see in the Bible than we may realize. We tend to think of courage as confidence and certainty. But the Bible shows us otherwise. On the night before He was arrested, Jesus was anguished and distressed. He didn’t deny His fear. He brought it to His Father in prayer (Matthew 26:26-36). And then—still distressed—Jesus chose obedience and allowed Himself to be put to death for three days.
The Bible doesn’t promise that fear will disappear before we act. Instead, God promises that His presence will be with us. When He called people into unknown futures, God didn’t say, “You won’t be afraid.” He said, “[I am] with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9).
Courage begins by telling the truth about what scares us—to ourselves, and to God. Not hiding it. Not rushing past it. And then, like Alex, taking steps so fear doesn’t get the final say. For you, that step may be a conversation you’ve been avoiding. A decision you’ve been delaying. Fear may come with you, but it doesn’t get to lead. You don’t have to defeat fear to follow Jesus. You only have to bring it into God’s presence and take the next faithful step forward with Him.
