“Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Psalm 23:4 (NIV) No one gets through life without setbacks. All of us will face storms from time to time. The real issue is how we respond. When you experience a setback, what happens next? Do setbacks dominate you? Do you stop trying and give up? If we’re not careful, setbacks will cause us to make unhelpful decisions:
The true test of faith is not how high you jump when you’re singing praises to God, but how straight you walk when you’re going through the valley of the shadow of death. You’ll always drift in a storm without the right anchor. And only one anchor will really do. One of the Bible’s most famous passages says it like this: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalm 23:4 NIV). God’s presence is the greatest anchor in any situation. When you’re feeling hopeless, remember that God hasn’t left you. Choose to make him your rock-solid anchor. No matter how dark your valley, you’ve never been closer to God than you are at this exact moment. When I remind people of that truth while they’re in the middle of a setback, they often tell me: “Well, I don’t feel his presence.” But it really has nothing to do with how you feel. The Bible says God is there in your darkest valley. That’s reality—whether you believe it or not. The Bible says, “I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us” (Romans 8:38-39 The Message). No matter what you’re going through, God and his love are right there with you. That truth offers stability in any storm.
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“Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate.”
2 Samuel 12:20 (NLT) Imagine you went into work one day at a job where you’ve dedicated 10 years of your life, and suddenly they tell you, “You’re fired. Sorry!” You would be in shock! You would be paralyzed and wouldn’t be able to think what to do. That’s how most of us would react to an unexpected loss. But even in the grief, shock, sorrow, sadness, and struggle of a loss, God wants to start you on a path of peace so that you can heal. The first step is surrender, and part of surrender is to do something productive. Maybe it’s just a little step. And you only have to take one small step at a time! The Bible describes King David’s step forward after his infant son had died: “Then David got up from the ground, washed himself, put on lotions, and changed his clothes. He went to the Tabernacle and worshiped the Lord. After that, he returned to the palace and was served food and ate” (2 Samuel 12:20 NLT). Why did he go to the palace? He’s the king, and the palace is his place of productivity. The palace is where he works. He’s basically signaling that he’s going back to work. Do you think that, one day after his baby died, David is over his grief? Of course not. You don’t ever get over grief; you get through it. David is still grieving, he’s still sad, and he was probably still overwhelmed. But he took one small step of returning home and nourishing his body. When you have a major loss—someone just walked out of your life, something precious is taken from you, a dream has died, you get bad news from the doctor—you have to take a first step toward peace. If you wait until you feel like taking that first step, then you’re not going to feel like it for a long, long time. You just have to move forward in faith. You don’t have to stop mourning to start moving. “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead.”
2 Corinthians 1:8-9 (NLT) Life is full of heartache. We suffer, feel lonely and discouraged, and face criticism. And sometimes that can feel unfair—but it’s not! Ask yourself this: Did Jesus suffer? Was he sometimes lonely? Was he tempted to be discouraged? Was he misunderstood and criticized unjustly? Yes! Jesus understands suffering better than anyone. None of us are exempt from suffering, loneliness, discouragement, or criticism, because God is developing in us the character of Christ. In order to do that, he takes us through some of the same struggles that Jesus experienced. Does that mean God causes tragedies? No, God is good. He won’t cause evil or do evil. But God can use dark and stressful times for good. He’ll use them to show us how to help others, to teach us to trust him, and to draw us closer to other believers. The apostle Paul and the people around him found this to be true. Paul says, “He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others” (2 Corinthians 1:4 NLT). And then Paul goes on to explain how he and his companions learn to trust God through hard times: “We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NLT). Through their struggles, they became closer to God but also to other believers: “You are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety” (2 Corinthians 1:11 NLT). So what should you do when you’re going through difficult times?
We all go through difficult times. The difference for those who believe in Jesus is our confidence in God’s promise to be with us, grow us in spiritual maturity, and use our difficulties for good. “[God] has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead . . . And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers.”
Lamentations 3:4-6, 8 (NLT) We all go through times when our lives seem to be falling apart. We lose our job. A relationship falls apart. Someone dies. Our health takes a turn for the worse. In those times, we’re tempted to think God has abandoned us. But he hasn’t. The ancient prophet Jeremiah was in the same boat when he wrote the book of Lamentations. His country, Judah, had endured an economic tailspin and was terrorized by a foreign enemy. He had witnessed incredibly inhumane acts committed against Judah. People were out of work and starving to death. Where did Jeremiah start? He told God how he felt: “[God] has made my skin and flesh grow old. He has broken my bones. He has besieged and surrounded me with anguish and distress. He has buried me in a dark place, like those long dead . . . And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers” (Lamentations 3:4-6, 8 NLT). Does it surprise you that these words are in the Bible? Jeremiah—like some people today—felt God had forgotten him. But Jeremiah didn’t ignore what he was feeling. He didn’t sugarcoat the situation. He told God what was on his heart. In fact, Jeremiah spent five chapters telling God what he thought about the situation. He told God, “This stinks!” Why would God put that kind of passage in the Bible? He wants you to know that he can handle your anger, your gripes, and your grief. Jeremiah spent an entire book of the Bible blowing off steam. If God is big enough to handle Jeremiah’s pain, he’s big enough to handle yours too. If you swallow your emotions, you just hurt yourself. Your stomach will keep score! Instead, unload your emotions on God. When kids are little, sometimes they may throw temper tantrums. Their temper tantrums most likely didn't cause you to love them any less, or make you doubt your decision, or make you feel like less of a parent. They likely reminded you that kids are immature. They don't know what you know. God doesn’t love you any less when you throw a temper tantrum. He doesn’t owe you an explanation. But he is never afraid of what you have to say. So tell him. It’ll be the beginning of healing. “God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 (NCV) If you want to slow down your life, you’ve got to learn to trust God’s timing. When things aren’t happening as quickly as you hoped, it’s easy to get impatient. But do you know what impatience really is? It’s a lack of trust. When you’re impatient, it’s like you’re saying, “God, I don’t really trust you. I don’t think you have my best interest at heart. I’m in a hurry for something, and I don’t believe you know when I need it.” You get worried, you get hurried, and you start scurrying—because you don’t trust God to do things at the right time and in the right way. So instead of trusting his timing, you struggle and strive. If you’re like most people, when you want something, you want it fast. But is fast always better? Not always. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 3:11, “God . . . does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing” (NCV). God has a plan for your life. You probably know that. But he also has a timetable for your life. Here’s the thing: God never explains his timetable. And sometimes that can be really difficult to accept. One of the most painful things in life is when you’re in a hurry and God’s not. As children grow up and mature, they learn the difference between “no” and “not yet.” A delay is not the same as a denial. As a follower of Jesus Christ, you have to learn the same thing: God’s delay is not his denial. He has a plan and a timetable. And his timing is perfect. Has God given you a vision that hasn’t become reality yet? It’s coming—but on God’s timetable. In the meantime, slow down and trust him. “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don't know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again . . . we know that God raised the Lord Jesus to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together.”
2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14 (CEV) When the future is uncertain and there is a lot of fear, it might seem like your story is coming to an end. But the Bible says, “We often suffer, but we are never crushed. Even when we don’t know what to do, we never give up. In times of trouble, God is with us, and when we are knocked down, we get up again . . . we know that God raised the Lord Jesus back to life. And just as God raised Jesus, he will also raise us to life. Then he will bring us into his presence together” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14 CEV). When life seems uncertain, remember this truth: You can’t lose! You’ll win in the end, no matter what happens. Even if you lose your life, you’re going straight into the presence of God if you believe in Jesus Christ as Savior. And when you arrive in heaven, your story is just at the beginning. Have you ever watched a TV show where every single episode ended in a cliffhanger and left you thinking the hero might not survive? Even though it’s just a story, the tension can feel enormous. But what if all the episodes from all the seasons of the television series were all together, the complete series available through a streaming service or a collection of DVDs. Then, when you’re watching a cliffhanger episode that’s from the first season, you wouldn’t feel as much tension because you know the hero survives for another six seasons. When you know the series will continue, then you know each episode is not the end of the story. The hero will make it out of a tight spot and on to the next season. That’s how your life is. Even when you’re in a difficult circumstance, you know that the tough spot isn’t the end of your story. You can live with hope in the middle of a crisis when you have an eternal perspective. One day, when you meet Jesus in heaven, all your pain, sickness, sorrow, sadness, stress, and grief will end. Here’s what you have to look forward to in heaven: “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:4 NIV). This life is not the end of the story. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
2 Corinthians 4:17-18 (NIV) When a crisis hits, you have to do the smart things necessary to get through it. You listen to God’s Word and godly advice, you make good choices, and you keep moving forward while remembering that this will pass. It’s not going to last forever! The Bible says in 1 Peter 4:12, “Dear friends, don’t be bewildered or surprised when you go through the fiery trials ahead, for this is no strange, unusual thing that is going to happen to you” (TLB). In this world, there will be times of trial and testing. It’s guaranteed! Since sin entered the world, nothing works perfectly. Everything on this planet is broken—the weather, the economy, your body, and even your best plans. Nothing works perfectly in this life because sin broke everything on Earth. Isaiah 24 says, “The land suffers for the sins of its people . . . [they] have twisted the laws of God and broken his everlasting commands . . . The earth has broken down in utter collapse” (Isaiah 24:4-5, 19 TLB). On Earth, everything is lost, abandoned, and confused. Even nature is groaning. We may wonder why God allowed sin and evil to enter the world; it’s because God wanted us to have a choice. And we’re the ones who have chosen to cause evil. We’re the ones who are selfish and self-centered and cause problems in society and in our environment. This Earth is not heaven. That’s why Jesus taught us to pray the Lord’s Prayer—”your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10 NIV). Heaven is a perfect place with no sorrow, sickness, sadness, or stress, but we shouldn’t expect heaven on Earth. One day we’ll get there, but we’re not there yet. You will get through whatever trial you’re facing right now. Soon enough you will marvel at all that God did in the midst of your trouble as you look at it from the other side. There will be more challenges to face and adversity to endure. But you can always hope in this truth: “Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV). “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.”
Psalm 23:4 (NIV) You may not be in the valley of the shadow of death right now, but you may be in another valley. Valleys are the hard places on your journey, where it’s easy to doubt or overlook God’s goodness. But you can always trust that God walks through the valleys with you. And he’s promised to bring you through to the other side. Psalm 23:4 says, “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (NIV). Here are three truths to remember when you are in the valley: 1. You are not alone. God is with you. The shadows in your life are evidence of the presence of light. How do you deal with a shadow? You turn your back to the shadow and look at the light. Jesus said, “I am the light for the world! Follow me, and you won’t be walking in the dark. You will have the light that gives life” (John 8:12 CEV). The Bible says that God is light and that in him there is no darkness at all. You need to stop focusing on the dark things that scare you: those bills, health concerns, or worries about your children or aging parents. When you move your focus off your fears, you can focus on the Father. 2. God has a good purpose for your valley. God cannot do evil. Even when you’re facing problems, conflict, grief, fear, or failure, God is at work, creating good from your valley. Romans 5:3-5 says, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (ESV). 3. The reward will last forever. You’re going to be rewarded for remaining faithful to Christ in the valley of failure, in the valley of fear, in the valley of conflict, in the valley of grief, and in the valley of trouble. You’ll be in heaven less than a minute before thinking, “Why did I complain so much? Why did I worry when I was going through those valleys? God was right there with me all the time, and he was good to me all the time.” As the Bible says, “For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NLT). “[Moses] kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible.”
Hebrews 11:27 (NLT) Many people suffer from prolonged pain, whether it’s chronic physical, emotional, spiritual, relational, or financial pain. Maybe you’re experiencing extended suffering, and you feel like you might have to endure it for the rest of your life. There are different tests God gives you to grow your character, and this is another one. It is the “How Long” test, where you ask, “How long, Lord?” The Bible tells how Moses had incredible persistence. He put up with enormous pain in his life. He endured significant criticism and conflict. He had every right to say, “How long, Lord?” Hebrews 11:24-26 says, “It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God’s people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward” (NLT). Moses gave up everything that many people spend their lives trying to achieve—fame, fortune, pleasure, possessions, and position. But he let them go because he had put his faith and identity in God. He trusted in God’s promises, even as he was mistreated along with God’s people. He thought that being disgraced for the sake of Christ was worth more than the treasures of Egypt—because “he was looking ahead to his reward.” Faith is continuing to persist without knowing how long you’ll need to hang on. And sometimes that’s very difficult. So how do you continue in faith when you are suffering? How do you develop endurance? How do you handle prolonged pain? You do what Moses did: You get close to God and stay connected so you can hear from him. Moses had a burning bush through which God talked to him. But you don’t need a burning bush because you have the Bible. Everything God wants to say to you is in the Bible. For you, God won’t say it through a bush or write it in the sky—because he already wrote it in a book. Stop looking for a vision. Instead, start looking for a verse in God’s Word. Knowing God’s revelation, instructions, and promises will give you the ability to pass the How Long test when you’re going through prolonged pain. Like Moses, keep your focus where it belongs. The Bible says that Moses “kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible” (Hebrews 11:27 NLT). If you keep your eyes on your pain, you won’t be able to look up. But if you keep your eyes on your Savior, you’re going to walk through difficulty with his grace. “When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do.”
Psalm 142:3 (GNT) God doesn’t want you to get discouraged and quit at the halfway point of life. He wants you to make it to the finish line. He’s called you to look up, not give up. Psalm 142:3 says, “When I am ready to give up, he knows what I should do” (GNT). The story of Nehemiah describes four common reasons people get discouraged. The first cause of discouragement is fatigue. Nehemiah 4:10 says, “Then the people of Judah began to complain, ‘The workers are getting tired’” (NLT). Rebuilding anything, of course, is exhausting. They had worked hard on the first half of the project, but they soon grew weary and worn down. They were more vulnerable to attacks from their enemies, physically and spiritually. Nehemiah’s workers offer an important lesson for you today: Sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is go to bed. Why? Because discouragement is often the result of being tired. Circumstances always look better after you’ve had a good night’s sleep. When you’ve had plenty of rest, you’re less vulnerable to self-pity, temptation, and attack from others. The second cause of discouragement is frustration. Not only were the Israelites fatigued; they were frustrated: “There is so much rubble to be moved. We will never be able to build the wall by ourselves” (Nehemiah 4:10 NLT). The project was more complex than they thought it was going to be. The ruin and rubble of their destroyed city was almost too much to handle. What’s the rubble in your life? It’s whatever you keep tripping over. It’s not just physical rubble. It could be emotional, relational, or financial rubble. Or maybe it’s rubble from making bad decisions. The thing about rubble is you will always have it in your life. You live on a broken planet, so there’s no way avoid it. But you can learn how to manage rubble to minimize frustration. How do you do that? By continually cleaning it out of your life. You can start by praying Psalm 25:16: “Come, Lord, and show me your mercy, for I am helpless, overwhelmed, in deep distress” (TLB). The third cause of discouragement is failure. When the Israelites got to the halfway point in rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, they wondered if they were going to succeed: “Will we ever finish this wall?” (Nehemiah 4:10 CEV). It was taking longer than expected, and they felt defeated and discouraged. The truth is, nobody succeeds at first. The only way you succeed in life is by failing and learning what doesn’t work. Failure is the stepping stone to success. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is this: Successful people see failure as a temporary setback. Unsuccessful people see it as a mark on their character. Proverbs 24:16 says, “The godly may trip seven times, but they will get up again” (NLT). The fourth cause of discouragement is fear. Not only did Israel’s enemies ridicule the rebuilding efforts, but they also made threats: “Before they know what’s happening, we will swoop down on them and kill them and end their work” (Nehemiah 4:11 NLT). Hearing your enemies talk like that is legitimate reason to be discouraged! The next verse says, “The Jews who lived near the enemy came and told us again and again, ‘They will come from all directions and attack us!’” (Nehemiah 4:12 NLT) Those who lived closest to the enemy were most fearful. Why? Because they were constantly surrounded by extreme negativity. If fear is discouraging you right now, surround yourself with good things and positive voices. Don’t pay attention to negative media. Turn it off, or you’ll only become a more frightened, paranoid, and worried person. What is discouraging you today? Fatigue, frustrations, failure, or fear? Whatever it is, give it to God and “run with endurance the race God has set before [you]” (Hebrews 12:1 NLT). |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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