It’s ironic and amazing that Addison was safe sliding in her carseat on all that ice and then broke her arm later that same day at a trampoline park surrounded by soft, bouncy surfaces. A bad landing can happen anywhere, and we can also be surrounded by danger and still be safe. God is in control, and that makes peace and courage constantly possible.
If you’ve read the book of Job, you probably saw how his “friends” got it wrong most of the time. But Job 5:19 is a nugget of encouragement from one of those friends: “He shall deliver thee in six troubles: yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.” God is able to keep us safe no matter how much danger is all around us.
If you’re delivered from six troubles, it means you were first hit with six troubles. But we can have peace right in the middle of trouble because God loves to keep us safe and keep us going wherever we find ourselves.
We can have peace and courage when we remember the right perspective. I love the quote that “Peace is not the absence of problems but the presence of God.”
Similarly, courage is not the absence of fear but the willingness to do right, to do what needs to be done, even when we’re afraid. We can step forward with peace and courage because God is in control and nothing can happen to us without His permission.