Life is a rollercoaster ride. We enjoy its highest peaks and fear the deepest valleys, but what we must always remember is that in every season of life, Jesus is on the same ride and He can and will sustain us throughout when we put our focus on who we are with, not simply where we are at.
Right before ascending to Heaven, Jesus made the promise "And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:20) What seemed to be a farewell was simply just another phase in God's plan to gain all authority on earth. Jesus ascended to take dominion, but He has and always will be with us - yes, even when things aren't going well.
Have you ever felt like you've hit rock bottom - bankruptcy, ministry failure, career confusion, relational dysfunction? Maybe you feel that way now. It's like you're in a deep pit and there's no way out. Here are four faith building promises to claim when you feel like you've hit rock bottom.
Things always get worse before they get better
Joseph had to become a slave and a prisoner before becoming a governor. Abraham had to leave his hometown before becoming a father of nations. Israel had to wander for forty years before entering the promised land. Even for the great figures of the Bible, things tended to get worse before they got better.
Why would God allow something like that? So that they could be sure who it was God who rescued them from their miry depths. Psalm 40:2 says this: "He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure." When you've been in that pit of destruction and come out the other end alive, you know for sure it really wasn't you who got you out of it.
Jesus is most powerful in our weakness
Paul had what he called a thorn in the flesh. Maybe you have that "thorn" as well - a sickness, a financial struggle or a toxic relationship. We can and should make the same declaration Paul makes in 2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
God is bigger than any problem we might face
Our problems could be bigger than we've ever faced before, but there is never a problem or circumstance that is bigger than God. God is God because nothing surpasses His capability and wisdom, and we can hold on to that promise.
Not only is God able, He is more than wiling to pull us out of dire circumstance in His time and season. Because we know that God loves us, we know that He can and will be bigger than any problem we face.
The victory has already been won
Jesus' victory on the cross should be our strongest battle cry. If He defeated sin and death itself, what's to stop Him from overcoming earthly failure, momentary afflictions and temporary suffering? Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins so that we can now walk in the freedom that is made available through His blood because He has washed away both the presence and consequence of our sin.
