Keep moving!
One of the good news of the Gospel is that our life can change, no matter how it began. Your identity is not defined by your past. Jesus comes to your rescue, you can get back on the road, keep walking in the valley of the shadow of death and get out of it.
Regaining Hope
Life's difficulties, the sins of others or injustices can lead us to sit on the side of the road, half-dead, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35).
Maybe your life seems hopeless, there seems to be no way out, but God creates a way where there is none. Fatalism is the opposite of Christian and biblical thinking. God is the one who brought His people out of 400 years of slavery, He is the liberator, He is the healer, He comes to your rescue.
When you've been through difficult things, you can think like a victim. A victim has been through their past and tends to think that they have no choice but to endure their future. But I want to declare today in your life that you can, by God's grace and help, take your life back into your own hands and that your future can be different from your past. A victim identifies with what he or she has suffered, but your identity comes from God, not from circumstances.
Perhaps you feel afflicted like Job. Job should not be a source of self-pity by remaining a prisoner of your past, but a source of hope, for he clung to God who healed and restored him completely on all levels.
"As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy." (James 5:11)
The message of the Book of Job is: hold on to God, He has the last word!
"Many are saying of me, “God will not deliver him.” but you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain. I lie down and sleep; I wake again, because the Lord sustains me." (Psalm 3:2-5)
Whether it is for your work, your health, your couple, your family, God has a plan and it is a good plan. God transforms situations, nothing is impossible for Him. Today I want to declare these verses about you: You are my glory and you raise my head. I will not die, but live, and I will tell what the LORD has done (Psalms 118:17)
I declare that there is hope for you. In the name of Jesus, I chase away the fog of despair that surrounds you. And I pray that Jesus, the sun of righteousness, will make His face shine on you, that he will revive your heart and that the God of hope will sustain your soul.
Hold on, hold on to God!
Wake up and reject the victim's identity
Have you stopped walking, overwhelmed by suffering?
"I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." (Psalm 121:1-2)
God is the one who accompanies us into the valley of the shadow of death, for He does not want us to die there. He holds our hand so that we walk out of it. It's time to get up, change your thinking to stop suffering the circumstances and to reject the identity of the victim. Before you can move forward again, you must first renew your thoughts and words.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11)
Stop complaining, stop blaming everyone else, and focus instead on Jesus who is your helper. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how He sees you, what is His perspective on your situation? God is the one who gives us free will and we can live the results of our choices. Bitterness is a poison that paralyzes you. Make the choice to forgive those who have hurt you, not because they deserve it, but because it is the only way forward. Mourn what has died in your life so that you can look forward to the future God has for you. Start confessing that God has good plans for you and that He is there for you. Confess that He wants to help you. Be thankful in advance for what He will do with you.
"For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers." (Proverbs 11:14)
Get out of isolation. Don't stay alone, ask for help around you. It often happens that suffering, anger or sadness blinds us and prevents us from seeing the solution that is right in front of us. I pray that God will place men or women on your path who will be of good counsel for you.
My friend, it's time to get up and get back on the road. It is a path that takes you away from your past and brings you closer to God's plan for you.
I leave you with this quote:
"If you can't fly, then run. If you can't run, then walk. If you can't walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving." Martin Luther King Jr.
Collaborating, walking with God
If God has a plan for us, a good plan, a plan for happiness, we must collaborate with Him to make it come true. The more you collaborate with Him, the more you will discover this plan. Don't despise small beginnings. The path before you is a long one. It is the first steps that are the most difficult.
Crossing the valley of the shadow of death is done one step at a time. Decide to commit yourself to walk according to God's guidance, one step at a time to the end. If you break this process down into small steps, you will celebrate many victories before crossing the finish line! Look back only to celebrate how far you've come.
I invite you to write down everything that God has done for you in order to nourish your faith and stimulate your gratitude. The more progress you make, the more courage you will gain.
You need others. Ask for an outside opinion on your situation to get another perspective and see your blind spots. Find Christians around you, who can encourage you. Avoid those who discourage you. Feed on God's promises and what he whispers to your mind. God is the God of miracles, but everywhere in the Bible, when there are miracles, God collaborates with humans. It is important that you listen to the Holy Spirit, for the way God has planned to lead you out of this situation is not necessarily conceivable with your reason. For example, one widow had debts to the point that her children were going to be sold as slaves. God's plan was for her to gather together the vases from her entire neighborhood, and the Lord then multiplied the small jar of oil she had left at home. (2 Kings 4:1-7)
"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
While prayer is crucial, prayer is not everything. You have to get moving. For example, developing new friendships, reading a book about your life experience, learning to set limits with toxic relationships, learning to communicate, consulting a professional, going back to school.
Consider other options than just waiting passively for God's intervention. For example: look for another job, move, connect with new people to meet new friends... Remember that God is the God of multiplication. He will multiply your efforts and speed up your walk.
Dear friend, it's time to lift up your head, take God's hand and start walking again!
I invite you to discover the books I have written. You can download excerpts here.
David Théry
Practical teachings to experience God