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July 12 - July 12, 2023
In the dark valleys of life you don’t need platitudes.
He will save you, too. No matter how small your faith, you can count on him to hear your anguished cry and answer in his own time and way.
When calamity strikes, you can count on God—not because you feel close to him, but because he remains close to you, in his word, for Jesus’ sake.
lamenting is calling God’s attention to what he already knows: you’re hurting, and it’s no fun.
What would Jesus do? He would suffer.
Your private pain finds meaning in the collective experience of all of Christ’s beloved.
That’s the secret to maintaining an even keel in storm-tossed situations and to finding persistent hope in the midst of your suffering: seeing your affliction as your personal link to Jesus.
Emotional or physical distress can be endured not because you have sufficient grit and determination to push through it on your own, but because he is alongside you.
No matter your circumstances or daily occupations, Jesus is calling you to follow his lead—even if he takes you to places you would rather not go.
You will discover, as I have, that the way of the cross—though frequently frightening—leads home.
ultimately, you don’t solve suffering—you endure it.
Suffering is natural for the Christian; it’s sure to come your way. However, you needn’t suffer all alone.
The mystery: God hides himself in the midst of sorrow and distress.
We were lost and without hope; he rushed from heaven to earth, all the way into our frail flesh, to intervene and save us.
If you want to make headway through stormy seas, fix your troubled heart on God’s word instead of on your inner feelings. Read his word out loud, silencing your relentless mental rehearsal of your inmost fears. Then pray out loud as well, relieving your pent-up private pain while giving voice to your complaints as you pour out your heart before him.
Prayerful meditation isn’t about pretending everything’s fine when it’s not. It’s not about developing resilience by getting through tough spots using your inner resolve and determination.
Life is too short to keep faking it. Christians don’t need to pretend that tragedies never happen or suffering isn’t miserable or pain doesn’t hurt. We can afford to be honest with God, because he knows the depth of human suffering. We can confidently cry out to him from the bottom of our anxious hearts, knowing we have a Father in heaven who shows compassion to his children (Psalm 103:13). We have a Savior who wept at the grave of his dear friend Lazarus (John 11:35). When we’re at a loss for words, the Holy Spirit takes over, interceding for us himself (Romans 8:26).
Never be afraid to give voice to your deepest distress when in the darkest valleys of your life. God is actively at work even there, producing in you what is well-pleasing in his sight.
Even when we feel abandoned, he is present with us every moment of every day.
Though your nights are unbearably long and your darkness impenetrably deep, Christ Jesus will sustain you and see you through them. You may not see him now, but you will see him soon enough—on the day of the resurrection of all flesh. Then all sorrow and sighing will flee away, and death will be no more. God will wipe away your every tear with his own hand.
Here’s the unvarnished truth: death is here to stay until Jesus returns to claim his bride, the church. On that final day he will raise all the saints in the power of his resurrection, out of the dust of death into risen eternal glory. But Jesus has not abandoned us until then. We aren’t just biding our time, running out the clock in this dying world. We have an anchor in eternity. Jesus promises to be with us every step of the way, even in calamity and the darkest valleys of our lives.
Instead of retreating into your head to cope with misery, you need to get out of yourself. In stressful times fears and doubts cycle endlessly through our minds in a continuous loop of anxiety and distress. Break that ugly cycle. Find a quiet place where you can talk out loud. Open up your Bible, and read aloud the words of Jesus. His words are Spirit and life.
Grieving is a good thing when you grieve in hope of the final consummation ahead.
The life Jesus gives you by his cross and resurrection is everlasting. Your sufferings, though they may linger on and on, are temporary by comparison. To know Christ and the power of his resurrection you must also share in the fellowship of his sufferings, which will come to an end one day soon.
