“The loss of loved ones, debilitating and fatal illnesses, personal betrayals, financial reversals, and moral failures – all of these will eventually come upon you if you live out a normal life span. No one is immune.”

Timothy Keller in Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering

As I was reminded in a sermon recently, each of us is one diagnosis away from being in a situation that we have dreaded and have never wanted to be in. Every day each of us is faced with something that at the same time has the ability to push us off our equilibrium and is completely beyond our control.

Some will tell you that “God will never give you more than you can handle” but I’m finding as I get older that all of life is more than I can handle alone. Without the promises of Scripture, I would not know where to turn.

At times we can relate to Job when he said:

“I was at ease, but he shattered me; he seized me by the scruff of the neck and smashed me to pieces. He set me up as his target;”

Job 16:12, CSB

As hard things come up, I find two of Jesus’ promises encouraging:

“I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

John 16:33, CSB

“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Matthew 28:20b, CSB

Remembering these two promises and focusing on all the rest of the promises in Scripture is a way to navigate through the hard things.

No matter how bad it gets, God has not ceased to be in control, and Jesus will never cease to be with us.

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