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“But this I call to mind and, therefore I have hope.  The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end.”  Lamentations 3:21-22 (ESV)

Absolutely don’t like winter – so sorry to all of you snow and cold weather fans – but winter is not my fave time of the year.  And did I mention it is only the end of January.  Lots of time left for winter to happen.  Just the thought of going out on a cold day chills my soul to the core.

Bet you can definitely relate to the thought of attempting to avoid unpleasant.  Ease and comfort make much better friends.  Warm sunshine, happy, carefree days invigorate us. Stress free, worry free, problem free – the dream list is endless.  Moments we gravitate towards rather than avoid.

Gotta be real here – life is full of unpleasant and awesome days.  It is the mixing of the two which makes life doable on this earth. If all was ease, we’d default to depending on self and probably would become very complacent.  However, its’ those hard days which propel us to lean on Jesus.  Depending on Him stretches and grows our faith in ways we would have never imagined.

Clinging to God’s truths and promises is just the right prescription we need to survive and thrive in the midst of hard, uncomfortable and unpleasant places.  Why?  Because we see God’s character sprinkled throughout the pages of His word.  We learn how God interacted and communicated with His people.  We see examples of those who despite difficulties and hardships rose above the challenges and ultimately glorified God.  All these add up to tons of encouragement, hope and trust in the One who meets all our needs even in the hard places.

The last two years has definitely charted a lot of hard places for a lot of people.  In the past few months, I’ve witnessed friends losing a family member to cancer, friends faced with aging struggling parents, friends serving as caregivers for their mom and husband.  And that sweet friends is just the short list.  I’m sure you have your own list of those who are facing huge challenges – perhaps your name may even be on that list.

So right in the midst of hard, I’m praying we fix our gaze on Jesus.  Rather than pull away, I pray we draw close because He is already drawing close to our broken hearts (Psalm 34:18, Psalm 147:3). I pray we remember He is ever present and will never leave us even when we don’t sense His presence (Hebrews 13:5b).  I pray we recall His faithfulness and divine interventions as we continue to navigate hard (Psalm 26:3). But most of all I pray we never forget the depths of His great love for us (Psalm 36:5) – a love that is unmoveable, unshakeable, unchangeable and knows no limits – the ultimate source of our hope.

“Father, even in moments when doubts and fears overwhelm us, You draw close and reassure us of Your love and presence.  Praising You for birthing hope right in the midst of our darkest days.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life