Are you dealing with a hard time right now that could be described as darkness?
When it comes to something bad happening in life, the question is not so much an “If” as a “When”. Bad stuff happens to all of us. We all deal with it in different ways.
It is coming up to two years since my best friend Rob was painfully taken from us by cancer, a word I am hating more and more as I hear new stories of people I know being affected by it.
That was really not an easy time for a lot of us and even two years later there are days when I really miss my friend and feel like he would know just how to help me face some of the tough life decisions I am facing.
Presence makes a difference
I know it’s different for different people, but for me when life is hard I like to be surrounded by people I love and who I know love me. My wife Val and some of my other friends and family members for example.
But over and above that, there is a verse in the Bible that has stayed with me as a constant reminder that when life is bleak, there is always someone around:
‘The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.’ – Psalm 34:18
This was written by King David who certainly had many occasions to feel broken-hearted and with crushed spirit. Many of those he brought on himself, but other times came when family and friends deeply disappointed him.
Yet David knew in his very core, that no matter how bad it got – because let’s face it having your heart broken or your spirit crushed are two of the lowest places you can go – God had promised to never leave him to go through it alone.
Reach out and ask
I have experienced the truth of that promise and it is available to you as well. I think it might be a bit more appealing if God told us He would take away all the bad stuff and never let us get to those dark places. But then we would lose our ability to make choices as He would always need to be swooping in and stopping things.
But just knowing that He will not leave us alone when times are hard, even if everyone else deserts us, is such a powerful hope and reminder.
If you are facing a tough time today, I encourage you to cry out to God and take Him up on that promise. Ask Him to give you strength and perseverance to get through the hard times, but also wisdom to know what to do next.
I can guarantee you that is one prayer God really loves to answer.