Devotion: He's with you through your rough place
Devotion By Dianna Hobbs // Your Daily Cup of Inspiration
I cried, a lot. A whole lot. I cannot remember the last time I bawled so much.
Several years ago I was asked to do something that stretched me well beyond what I thought were my limits. After I got into it and went past the point of no return, I discovered how difficult and emotionally draining it was. I couldn’t run away, but let me tell you, I felt like it!
I know it was the will of the Lord for me to do it, but that didn’t make it easy. Not at all. I had to lean on God every step of the way to finish. There were moments when I wanted to bolt as fast as I could and hide from it, but I didn’t.
The fact that something is God’s will doesn’t make it easy; it just makes it possible. Even though He is ordering your steps and has authorized a thing, that certainly does not mean the road you travel will be smooth. There will be some rough spots, difficult transitions, uncomfortable delays, and at times, seemingly overwhelming obstacles. Yet, you can endure and go through with His help.
Knowing you are in His will is what should motivate, encourage, strengthen and inspire you to keep on moving ahead.
Will you ever wish it were easier to face life and handle the hand you have been dealt? Sure. We all have felt that way at one point or another. Still, difficulty and all, you have to keep your focus on the main thing, which is remaining in alignment with the Father’s plan. You have to be willing to push through it and trust God to see you through it.
“Pain produces purpose. No pain, no gain. No cross, no crown. No wilderness, no Promised Land. No rain, no reign. ”
In life, I know you have been hurt along the way. You have gone through things unexpectedly and have suffered through difficult seasons. Me too. You may be going through right now.
You may very well feel like the Children of Israel did in Deuteronomy 2. For about 38 years, they had been wandering in the deserts of Seir, a mountainous region. In verse 2 of this chapter, after all that time of feeling stuck in the same place, God told them, “You have skirted this mountain long enough; turn northward.”
Finally, a shift in their journey was taking place. It didn’t happen overnight, as you see, but their time did come. The name “Seir” means rough or hairy. So then, for what must have felt like a never-ending period, Israel had been walking through a rough place. That is, until God said enough. It was time to move on.
Throughout the chapter, God instructs Israel on how to navigate enemy territory on their way to the Promised Land. He showed them how to handle their season of transition, as a shift was taking place in their lives.
Friend, transitional seasons are tough. You don’t always know what God is up to, but know that He’s with you through your rough place. And when the time is right, a shift is going to take place in your life. It’s about to get better from here. God is making all things new.
I understand how hard that can be to believe when so much time has gone by with no changes happening. Israel had been waiting 38 years for God to declare “long enough” over their circumstances. But know that the Lord is with you in Seir, the rough place. He has seen your affliction and heard your cries, and He is saying continue to wait in faith. A shift in your circumstances is coming. Things will come full circle.
To remind you that this struggle will not last, I’m stirring Isaiah 40:4 GWT into your cup of inspiration, which says, “Every valley will be raised. Every mountain and hill will be lowered. Steep places will be made level. Rough places will be made smooth.”
As you drink down the contents of your cup, know that this prolonged season of hardship and suffering is coming to an end. Just hold onto faith. In due time, you will reap a harvest.
Now let’s pray.
God, I have been battling discouragement in this rough place. Sometimes, it feels like things will never balance out or smooth out in my life. But I trust that Your word is true, and I believe that my due season will arrive. In the meantime, I put my faith in You, and I choose to praise You now for what’s to come in the future. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
