You fear you won’t. We all do. We fear that the depression will never lift, the yelling will never stop, the pain will never leave…We wonder: Will this gray sky ever brighten? This load ever lighten? We feel stuck, trapped, locked in. Predestined for failure. Will we ever exit this pit?
Yes!
Deliverance is to the Bible what jazz music is to Mardi Gras—bold, brassy, and everywhere.
Deliverance:
out of the lion’s den for Daniel,
the prison for Peter,
the whale’s belly for Jonah,
Goliath’s shadow for David,
the storm for the disciples,
disease for the lepers,
doubt for Thomas,
the grave for Lazarus,
and the shackles for Paul.
God carries us through stuff:
through the Red Sea onto dry ground (Exodus 14:22),
through the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5),
through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4),
and through the deep sea (Psalm 77:19).
Through is a favorite word of God’s:
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.” (Isaiah 43:2 NKJV)
Max Lucado, God Will Carry You Through, Thomas Nelson, 2013, pp. 2-3.
Looking for More Inspiration?
Don’t Miss
The Latest From Our Blog
Check out articles, featured illustrations, and book reviews on all different topics related to ministry.
New Site Launches Tomorrow!
Watch this Space! Tomorrow (May 29) is the official launch of the new The Pastor's Workshop site! Return to this blog tomorrow morning for a post highlighting the new features and explaining how subscribers can get on and start using the site! Here are some new...
How You Can Prep for Pentecost
This was originally posted on May 12, 2016 on https://huffpost.com Pentecost Came Like Wildfire I'm lying on an ice pack early this morning, doing my back exercises and listening to Pray as You Go, a tool for meditation, with monastery bells, music, and a Bible...
Sacred Spaces: the Church Forests of Ethiopia
Let's Go to Ethiopia! Here’s a fun exercise with a spiritual payoff. Go to Google Maps and view aerial images of the South Gondar zone of Ethiopia. Use this button:When the page loads, you'll see a light brown countryside, mostly farmland. There are thin lines of dark...