I was listening to a little Elvis Radio yesterday. Not very spiritual, I know. Although, he can belt out How Great Thou Art. He was singing the old Marty Robbins’ song, You Gave Me a Mountain, 

But this time {Lord} you gave me a mountain
A mountain I may never climb
It isn’t a hill any longer
You gave me a mountain this time

As I listened, I thought about some mountains that I have had to climb. God has allowed some steep cliffs that I thought were too high. Scripture assures us that God never tempts us. He does test us. Y’all, those test though…

Then, I thought about you. I know some of you are climbing mountains. To others, they may seem like hills. You know different. They have you gasping for air. 

The thing about climbing mountains (not that I have climbed any physical ones. Unless you count the hill on my road that feels like a mountain), it’s OK for us to stop and catch our breath. It’s even better when we are climbing with a buddy and they are cheering us on, or pushing our backside up when we want to sit down. 

As your friend, I want to encourage you today. I can speak from experience.

I’m still here. You are too.

The mountains have been stinkin’ hard. They have made us sweat, cry, decide to quit, and questions God’s thought process.  We have shared common emotions with King David:

I am worn out from sobbing.
All night I flood my bed with weeping,
drenching it with my tears.
My vision is blurred by grief  (Psalm 6: 6-7 NLT)

Let me speak life over you. You are going to make it.

God will send enough manna each day for you to face the challenge before you. We don’t need to store up God’s grace and mercy. They are new every morning. 

Your eyes might be red. Your tummy might be in knots. You might be all cried out…until you tune up again at the least little thing. You are going to be OK. As a wise woman once told me, “In six months this will all look different.” She was right. Perfect, no. Different, improving, manageable, increasing joy – yes.

Whatever you are facing, God has the answer. I would like to say the answer will be what you want and it will look like you want it to look. I can make no promises. Most of the time, my answers have come in unexpected ways. I can testify to this, God has always been faithful to me. 

I’m still here. I didn’t fall off the cliff. I might have barely hung on, but that’s what counts, right? That we are still here.

God loves you. He has a good plan for you. You are His favorite kid. 

Lord, we feel like our rope is frayed and we are hanging on by a thread. Will You hold us tight? Will You help us feel Your presence when all the other feels of life are weighing us down? Thank You for taking notice of our every tear. We claim David’s declaration in Psalm 6:9 as our own, “The Lord has heard my plea; the Lord will answer my prayer.”