via TJC
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” -Psalm 23:4
Last week we took a look at our scars and the festering wounds that give us those scars. This week we are “lifting our eyes to the hills” (Ps 121:1) as we seek higher ground in our battle.
The first time I felt I was with God I was in a dark college dormitory room with thoughts of suicide seeping through the edges of my mind. I was miserable in my course of study, and I was nauseous thinking about my future career prospects. My mother was leaving my father, and my home had become chaotic rather than a refuge for me. I had been utterly rejected by a woman I had grown to love, but who had been using me as a pleasurable distraction from her career ambitions. I sat in my dark room for hours at a time with emotions whipping violently between rage and desolation. I had nothing to hope for–I had abandoned my childhood faith years ago and was just realizing that nothing I did or thought was meaningful. I was in the valley of the shadow of death–the dark night of the soul. It was in this state that I decided to pray. I didn’t know what made me call out to a God until many years later. All I knew at the time was that He answered me, and that was the beginning of the rest of my life with Him.
Climbing God’s mountain starts in the valley for most men. If you are drowning in your fear, shame, guilt, or anxiety, you are there. It is at the low point that we realize we must lift our eyes to the hills–to where our help comes from. We must climb the mountain to be with God.
Daily Battle Order:
God is with you in the valley, and wants to meet you on the mountain. Today, schedule 10 minutes to pray, and lift your eyes to Him. Then, commit to the climb.
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