There are times when courage does not feel brave at all. It’s not easy to describe. It can feel quiet. Sometimes heavy. Maybe it’s just getting through the day without falling apart.

Those are the very things that matter most to Jehovah.

Some trials are not loud. They’re not tough decisions. They can show up in small places… You get up in the morning and you’re still exhausted. You’ve still got the same problems you had before you went to bed. People look at you, and you just smile, because you don’t want to tell everybody how it really is. Courage can be just putting your feet on the floor and starting the day.

We’ve all been there — when you’re in that mode where you’re going over things again and again in your head.

And then you realize you have no idea how to deal with what you’re dealing with. You’ve pondered. You’ve done the homework. But nothing’s coming of it. What you thought you had within yourself, you find that it’s not even there anymore.

That’s why the words at Proverbs feel so real: “Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.” — Proverbs 3:5

And somewhere in all of that, it clicks. You see how much you’ve been leaning on yourself. Not because you meant to push Jehovah aside, but because that’s what we tend to do. And you see it, and you know it, and you believe it. Trusting in Jehovah was never supposed to come later. It was supposed to come first.

Sometimes the prayer is simple. Not polished. You’ve just emptied yourself out. You’re not trying to sound right. You’re saying what it is. You might say, “I don’t see where this is going, and I don’t have any idea what to do next.”

But that takes courage too. Not what most people notice — just the kind that shows up when you stop pretending you’re fine.

The thought from Proverbs keeps coming back. “In all your ways take notice of him, and he will make your paths straight.” — Proverbs 3:6

There it is. You’re letting Him be part of it.

That doesn’t mean the problem goes away. You’re just not lost in it anymore. The problem is still there, but your feet become sure in their path because you’re not wandering on your own.

Some of us have things deep down inside that we never share with anybody. It might be a health issue. It may be anxiety, that pops up every once in a while. Stress in the family that hasn’t been settled yet. We keep working on it, like we have for years. Life keeps going, and so do we.

The Bible doesn’t offer fantasy. Faith doesn’t make life easy. “Many are the hardships of the righteous one, but Jehovah rescues him from them all.” — Psalm 34:19

That’s just a fact. But we’re on solid ground.

Jehovah has never left us through it all. He’s with us from start to finish. He doesn’t wait for us to totter before He helps.

Joshua had a big responsibility, and he knew he couldn’t do it on his own. He didn’t get a step-by-step plan laid out in front of him. But he did get a good plan. The best plan. “Have I not commanded you? Be courageous and strong. Do not be afraid or be terrified, for Jehovah your God is with you wherever you go.” — Joshua 1:9

That is the difference! We know how it’s going to turn out. We know we’re going to get through it. We know Jehovah is going to sustain us, because we’re not doing this by ourselves.

When you look back, people often say the same thing. They don’t know how they got through it. They just know they did. And they know they didn’t do it on their own.

Strength showed up when it was needed. Never early. Just at the right time. And just enough to get through that day.

Jehovah gives us what we need when we need it.

Courage doesn’t always look strong. Sometimes it just keeps going. It keeps turning to Jehovah again and again, because the prayer never really ends — 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Dave tone