When the Only Way Out is Through

When adversity strikes, even when we find ourselves moderately inconvenienced or uncomfortable, our immediate response is "Get me out of here!" It's only natural, isn't it? And yet inevitably, there's no alternative but to travel through those tough times rather than to be delivered from them. What tough times have you been through in your life? What tough times are you going through right now? Doubtless, that "Get me out of here!" sentiment has featured strongly. As I think back to my own, though, I realise that God was right in taking me through them, rather than plucking me out of them. It was then that He shaped me into who I am today. It was then that He allowed me to discover, in my own experience, how brightly His love shines on the darkest days; how faithful He is in the deep ravines of life; how wondrous it is to experience His Presence when I'm completely alone. Writes King David of his darkest hour … Psalm 23:4 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. (ESV) That whole "valley of the shadow of death" thing isn't merely some poetic flourish. It was real. His predecessor, King Saul, wanted to kill him. David couldn't avoid that valley; he had to walk through it. Deliverance didn't come by escape, but by endurance in God's Presence. God's Presence in your deep, dark valley is a light that, if you'll let it, will shine ever so brightly, casting out fear, delivering you through to the end. When the only way out is through … God. That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.