Still Standing

You may feel at times like the darkness has a grip on you, but God’s grip is tighter! He is the rock at the bottom when the bottom falls out.

Let him be your refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1).

And because he is your refuge and strength, because you are trusting him with your future, and because of the truth and promise of eternal life in heaven through his son Jesus Christ—because of this, everything is going to be okay.

I mean, life might not always feel okay. But I have experienced 1 John 4:4 (NIV): “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”

Our God is greater! And so, we can keep standing!

I know that your life may not be going the way you thought it would. It may feel like this dark valley will never end. It may feel like the battle is raging with no relief in sight. Be assured, that God is with you. He is at work even when you cannot see it.

This dark valley will end.

Do not be passive with the darkness in your life. I want you to live free. Though you cannot see it now, as you push back the darkness, you are growing stronger than you ever were before. You are going to finish well!

Let your light shine in the darkness. Your story and your testimony are needed to guide and comfort others.

Remember, on hard days, our God is a consuming fire. His kingdom cannot be shaken! “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28–29 NIV).

And so my final words for you come from 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV): “Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you.”

Rise up.

Stand firm.

Let nothing move you.

Finish well as you walk with the King.

This plan has been adapted from the book Still Standing: How to Live in God’s Light While Wrestling with the Dark.

This devotional by Baker Publishing is available at Bible.com. (MCN)