It's Not a Perfect World
No one lives happily ever after on this earth, but if we cling to our faith we can be sure there will be a happy ending. Our sorrow may last for a night, but joy will come in the morning.
In the classic allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress, the main character, Christian, tumbles into the miry bog, the “slough of despond,” and struggles to get free. But the heavy burden on his back pulls him in deeper, and he begins to sink.
This image pictures what it feels like when we’re sinking in difficult circumstances—when our debts outweigh our income, when past hurts won’t heal, when discontentment marks our relationships, and when the light of heaven seems distant and dim. Discouragement, despondency, pain, suffering—these miry pits along life’s journey can pull us down into our own “slough of despond.”
Christian’s rescue came by the hand of a fellow traveller named Help...and the same is true for you today. Use these resources to find healing for your own life...or to minister help to those you find along life’s journey.
No one lives happily ever after on this earth, but if we cling to our faith we can be sure there will be a happy ending. Our sorrow may last for a night, but joy will come in the morning.
Never underestimate the power of your prayers. It relieves our anxiety and gives us calm assurance that God is in full control of our circumstances.
We’ve all experienced times when our prayers for healing go unanswered. But no matter what, God is in control. He heals according to His perfect timing and plan.
Having a limitation does not necessarily mean a liability. Paul illustrates five attitudes required for transforming limitations into assets and living and leading victoriously.
Pain is a part of life. And it’s in these “crucibles” our identity is shaped. Hard times are a transformative experience.
God can and does heal, Scripture makes that clear. But divine healing is something we cannot control. It happens according to God’s perfect will, in His perfect time.
Before Paul put the final period on his first letter to the Thessalonians he issued a double-edged command: “encourage…and build up one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). In a world more sinful than saintly, such a command is necessary because the spirit of discouragement is dangerous.
If everyone practiced the philosophy of an eye for an eye we’d all be blind. You see, grinding resentment isn’t resolved with revenge; it’s resolved with grace.
Walking closely with the Lord means we must come to terms with forgiving others. Yes, must. We can’t avoid or deny the fact that relationships often bring hurt and the need to forgive.
Joy prompts healing—both physically and emotionally. In this poignant letter of friendship and faith, the Apostle Paul advocated for a lasting joy to undergird the life of all believers.