Right after I graduated from UC Berkeley in 1987, I was asked to lead a Bible talk at Bowles Hall — a men’s dorm perched high above campus next to Memorial Stadium.
If you’ve ever seen Bowles Hall, you know it looks like a castle. Stone walls. Ramparts. Sitting up on a hill.
Every time I walked toward it, I felt like Don Quixote charging a windmill.
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👉 Listen to the episode here: 354. The Courage You Need Is Closer Than You Think
I was barely 21 years old.
I had been a Christian for one year.
I had never led a Bible discussion before.
And I was terrified.
My hands were sweaty. My stomach was tight. I didn’t really know what I was doing.
In fact, when I showed my campus leader, Doug Beatty, my “discussion,” he looked at my notes and said:
“Rob, this isn’t a discussion. This is a sermon. You don’t have any questions.”
That tells you how green I was.
But I had one thing going for me.
As I walked from my apartment to Bowles Hall after my part-time insurance job, I repeated one verse to myself over and over:
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
— Matthew 28:20
I said it like a broken record.
Surely I am with you always.
Surely I am with you always.
Surely I am with you always.
That promise became my anchor.
And somehow — even though I didn’t know what I was doing — we saw five men baptized that semester.
Not because I was talented.
Not because I was confident.
But because Jesus was with me.
The Only Thing Jesus Promised
Those words come at the very end of Matthew’s Gospel.
Jesus is speaking to eleven scattered, doubting disciples. One of their own has betrayed Him and died. They’re uncertain. Afraid. Overwhelmed.
And Jesus gives them the Great Commission — go make disciples of all nations.
What a massive task.
And then He gives them one promise.
Not comfort.
Not money.
Not ease.
Not success.
Presence.
“Surely I am with you always.”
That’s it.
That’s the gift.
The Great “I Am”
That phrase — “I am” — isn’t accidental.
It connects all the way back to Exodus 3.
Moses stands before the burning bush and asks God:
“Who should I say sent me?”
And God responds:
“I AM WHO I AM.”
The same “I Am” who spoke from the bush…
The same “I Am” who called Moses…
The same “I Am” who strengthened Gideon and said,
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior”…
That’s Jesus.
In John 8:58, Jesus says plainly:
“Before Abraham was born, I am.”
The Great I Am didn’t retire after the Old Testament.
He walks with you.
Right now.
What Are You Afraid Of?
So let me ask you:
What’s scaring you today?
Is it:
- Sharing your faith?
- Leading a group for the first time?
- Confronting someone who’s drifting?
- Starting something new?
- Obeying God in an area that feels risky?
Maybe you feel unqualified.
Maybe you feel inexperienced.
Maybe you feel like you’re walking toward a castle on a hill.
Here’s the truth:
You are not alone.
The Great I Am is not sending you out with a “good luck.”
He’s walking beside you.
And when you realize that, fear begins to loosen its grip.
Courage Is Not Confidence
Courage isn’t the absence of fear.
I was still afraid walking into Bowles Hall.
Courage is acting while remembering who stands beside you.
When I realized:
If the Great I Am is with me…
what do I really have to fear?
That changed everything.
Not because I became strong.
But because I remembered who was strong.
Step Into It
So here’s my challenge to you:
Stop skirting around the thing you know you need to do.
Stop saying, “Maybe next time.”
Walk into it.
Step into that conversation.
Lead that group.
Have that hard talk.
Open your mouth and share your faith.
You’re not doing the heavy lifting.
God is.
And He has promised something far greater than comfort or success.
He has promised Himself.
“Surely I am with you always.”
The courage you need is closer than you think.
The Great I Am is standing right beside you.
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This blog is adapted from the episode:
“The Courage You Need Is Closer Than You Think.”
Make this life count.
