Sometimes the valleys in life are deep and long, but those are not the times to give up. Blaming God and leaving the Lord is not the answer. Gold refined by fire rids the dross and makes it purer (1 Peter 1:7). I think of this passage in Proverbs 24:10, “If you faint in the day of adversity, Your strength is small” (NKJV).
There was a time when many of the disciples of the Lord left Him. “From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, ‘Do you also want to go away?’ But Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (John 6:66-69). It is in the valleys of life that I especially need Him. He has never forsaken me, and so, why should I forsake Him? He is my Rock and my Salvation. He is my High Tower and my Shelter in the time of the storms. He gives me comfort in the night. His strength is greatly manifested in weakness. I have often requested of Him to bestow His grace upon me so that I might see the sun beyond the overcast and the silver lining behind every cloud. His grace is sufficient for me.
A moving verse is found in James 4:6, which is a simple but a very profound statement, “But He gives more grace…” Here is a precious promise of our Heavenly Father, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me” (Psalm 50:15). Also, we find in Psalm 46:1 that “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble.” The following hymn, found in a book by Rowland V. Bingham, explains best what I am trying to say.
He Giveth More Grace
Annie J. Flint (1866-1932)
He giveth more grace as our burdens grow greater,
He sendeth more strength as our labors increase;
To added afflictions He addeth His mercy,
To multiplied trials He multiplies peace.
When we have exhausted our store of endurance,
When our strength has failed ere the day is half done,
When we reach the end of our hoarded resources
Our father’s full giving is only begun.
Fear not that thy need shall exceed His provision,
Our God ever yearns His resources to share;
Lean hard on the arm everlasting, availing;
The Father both thee and thy load will upbear.
His love has no limits, His grace has no measure,
His power no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again.
Works Cited
Bingham, Rowland V. The Making of the Beautiful: The Triumphant Story of Annie Johnson Flint. Evangelical publishers, 1948.
