Enduring the Rough Seasons of Life

Life has been rough lately. Several plans and opportunities that I worked hard for and eagerly anticipated haven’t worked out. Goals that I had set for myself weren’t attained. This has left me feeling utterly exhausted, and my soul has grown weary. It is sad because I know how good the Lord has been to me, and I will be the first to tell you that God has done so many amazing things in and through my life. However, during these seasons of my life, I tend to be forgetful of His goodness, and I begin to focus solely on the negative aspects of my life.

My actions are parallel to those of the Israelites. As God’s chosen people, they had seen and witnessed incredible acts of the Lord. In Exodus, God led them out of bondage in Egypt. Their initial response was thankfulness. However, when they arrived at the Red Sea and saw Pharaoh’s army approaching, they began to panic. As the army grew nearer, God miraculously parted the waters of the Red Sea, and the Israelites walked across on dry land. As soon as they reached the other side, God drew the waters back together and destroyed Pharaoh’s army. In Joshua, God commanded the Israelites to march around the city of Jericho for six days. On the seventh day, God gave specific commands for the priests to play their trumpets while they and the Israelite army marched around Jericho. After the army heard the trumpet sound, they were to shout. The Israelites obeyed the Lord, and the walls of Jericho fell with only a shout.

After these events, one would think that the Israelites would be happy and grateful all the time, yet they weren’t. This same group of people also wandered in the wilderness for forty years due to their unbelief. On numerous occasions they turned and served false gods instead of looking to the one true God, the same God who parted the waters and brought the walls of Jericho tumbling down. Even though they were eyewitnesses to the miraculous works of the Lord, they easily forgot as well.

So the questions start to arise in my mind. How do I quit being so forgetful of God’s goodness? How can I endure this rough season in my life? The answer is quite simple, and it can be summed up in one word— remember. I must constantly remind myself of God’s continuous faithfulness and goodness.

In Deuteronomy 11:18-20, God gave the Israelites specific ways to remember the miraculous works He had performed on their behalf, and many of them are still applicable to us today.

18 “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 19 You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 20 And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates:”

1. Lay up His words in your hearts and souls. A good way to apply this is to memorize scripture. Once you store scripture in your mind, you can recall it when you need it.
2. Bind them on your hand. This reminds me of the WWJD bracelets that were popular in the 2000’s. Today, bracelets with Bible references and verses have become easily accessible.
3. Teach them to your children. Parents, you have been given the incredible task of training your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Talk to them about what the Lord has done or is doing in your life. There is no better way to teach them than to live it out in front of them.
4. Speak of them when you sit, walk, lie down, and wake up. God’s goodness should be pouring out of you onto others at all times. God covers every aspect of our day on this one.
5. Write them on the doorposts and gates of your house. Taped to my bathroom mirror is a poem I wrote based on Deuteronomy 6:3-9. When I see it every morning, it serves as a reminder of His faithfulness to me. Others also have picture frames or works of art that have scripture written on them. Find what works for you, and stick with it.

When we begin to implement practical ways to remind ourselves of His faithfulness and goodness, we will find it hard to focus on the negatives of life, and we will begin to experience the joy and strength He alone gives us as we walk through the rough seasons of life.

Wherever you are and whatever season of life you are in, I pray that the Lord would show Himself faithful to you. May we always remember just how good He truly is and cling to the promise of a future spent in eternity with Him.