There is a blessing from the Lord that comes when we decide to not quit in the face of adversity, trials, and change. God wants to bring you into the peace and leadership of the Holy Spirit that is cultivated through a life of communion and friendship with the Lord. Trials are a part of this life, and the beauty of walking with Jesus is that you no longer walk through the valleys of life alone, but you have a Good Shepherd who is walking alongside you.
There are seasons when God calls each of us to trust Him when we cannot see beyond the next step in front of us, and these moments reveal our hearts’ posture and our faith in Him more than the seasons when we stand on the mountain. It is what happens in us in the delay that God is after.
But what do you do when it seems like life goes from valley to valley void of a mountaintop experience? The Lord lays hold of our hearts when we find our rest in Him rather than in the form of circumstantial peace. Jesus is your peace and desires to be your safe place no matter what is happening in the world around you.
Extravagant Depth
On the other side of the valley of the shadow of death is the depth of God’s love for you that reveals the safety you have in His heart where fear does not exist. And there is a Man who has prayed for you: Jesus, your high priest, has interceded for you at the right hand of the Father, and He has walked with you through every valley and scaled every mountain to reveal Himself with a depth He longs for you to know. Today is no different, and what He has done before, He will do again.
Have you ever noticed that God always outdoes Himself in His display of extraordinary love to you over the course of your life? God prepares a table for you in the presence of your enemies. Do you know what is special about this passage? David wrote these words in light of the Passover meal before the Lord gave Israel victory over Jericho, when the walls came down.
God prepared a meal outside of Jericho right in front of Israel’s enemies! Think about that for a moment. God gave His people an opportunity to experience His breakthrough before the walls of opposition ever came down. What a mighty God He is.
Today, the Lord wants to reveal Himself to you as your defender, your safety, your greatest friend, and your Savior. He will lead you beside still waters with the peace that only He can give. Thank Him for the breakthrough before it comes, thank Him for the answered prayers before You see them, thank the Lord for the promises of His Word being fulfilled even before you see them with your eyes! He is faithful to finish what He started in you.
Psalm 91 is a weapon given to us in Scripture where the Lord teaches us what happens when we abide in the shadow of His presence. God wants you to see Him as your source of peace, safety, friendship, and hope regardless of the circumstances taking place around you.
The eye of the storm is an invitation to connect with the heart of Jesus in the secret place of His presence. We always become what we behold. When we look at Jesus and when we worship Him through the trials and valleys we face in life, we become more like Him!
Our One Shot
Think about it: This is the only time in all eternity where you and I will have the opportunity to worship God through pain. One day, Jesus will establish His Kingdom in the new earth and there will be no more tears and no more pain. “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 4:21).
We get to choose Jesus through the adversities of this life, and He promises to give us beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for heaviness through the darkest seasons. Choosing to draw near to God despite our circumstances reveals our heart. It displays our faith (or lack thereof) in the moments that are meant to destroy us.
I think about how it must move God’s heart to see us respond to Him in faith no matter what our circumstances look like. And when we choose to abide in the shadow of His presence, our hearts are knit together with His. God provides us with divine protection, safety, deliverance from evil, and His great love that covers us no matter what we face in life.
Taken from A Minute of Hope: 100 Intentional Prayers for Times of Challenge and Change by Cristina Baker. Copyright © 2025 by Cristina Baker. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson.
