“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.”

Psalm 34:15-17 NIV.

Sometimes life can be too much.

Too many things coming against you. Too many things going wrong. Too many things falling apart.

You try to keep it together. You try to figure things out. You try to come up with a plan, a way to push ahead or to simply keep standing.

But things are a blur. A hazy fog. Confusion sets in. You have faith but it’s weary. YOU’RE weary.

You’re like a lighthouse standing alone on the shore, battered by the storm and trying to shine, but your light has dimmed.

The darkness of discouragement has settled over you. It’s so thick it muffles your cries. You wonder if anyone sees what you’re going through. If anyone cares.

Oh, precious soul. God sees you, and of course He cares!

So what’s happening? Why are so many things coming against you?

The enemy is attacking you, lying to you, and trying to discourage you.

Satan is ruthless when he surrounds you like that. Remember, he is a liar and the father of lies, and he fights dirty. He’ll do whatever it takes to either destroy you or render you useless for God’s kingdom.

But Almighty God is mightier than the enemy and his entire arsenal of weapons! Don’t you dare cower in fear because the darkness SEEMS thick. God is your refuge and your strength, and He is the great I AM – the One who created all things, the One who is in complete control.

Don’t believe the lies you hear in the darkness. Don’t spin yourself around, looking at all the things going wrong around you.

Look up to God! Listen IN for the Holy Spirit! And remember YOU are God’s precious child that He created with a plan and a purpose.

It was never His plan to abandon you to the darkness to deal with painful trials alone. Never.

He’s closer than you think and more aware of your heart than you even know.

So, hit your knees in prayer and call out to your heavenly Father. He is faithful to deliver you! Take some time to rest if you need to. Then get back up, brave soul, and shine on.

And when you do, you’ll be able to look around and see others who are standing on the shore with you, those whose lights are dimming – encourage them.

You’ll also see those who are lost in deep waters, those who need to hear about Jesus Christ – share the Good News with them.

And you’ll also see why the enemy has been fighting you so hard, why he tried to discourage you and keep you in darkness – to keep you from reaching others.

So, shine brightly, child of God. Shine brighter than ever before! And watch and see what God will do.