I was recently talking to the Lord about a hard place that I knew I was about to walk through. It was like looking at a storm on the Western horizon coming in my direction. It wasn’t here yet, but it appeared to be heading right towards me, and it seemed unavoidable and daunting. Prophetically, I first saw it in a dream many months ago, and so the real deal approaching me wasn’t a surprise. As I was in the beginning of my conversation with the Lord, explaining to Him how hard I thought it would be I was suddenly and yet tenderly interrupted by His voice saying, “We will do this together.” His words were profoundly comforting and liberating. Has the Lord ever healed you before you ever felt the pain? That is what happened when He spoke those words to me. He wasn’t saying, “As you walk through this, I will be there to help you;” instead, I knew He was saying, “We will walk through this as one.” Jesus isn’t here to help us. It is the Holy Spirit who is the Helper, and He helps us by making the indwelling Christ the living reality Who lives in and through us every step of our pilgrimage on this earth. Eternal life is our daily participation in the life of God through Christ by the Holy Spirit, and our participation in His life is never more vibrant than when we walk through the valley of shadows, no matter what those shadows may represent. The Holy Spirit broods over dark and wildly threatening waters, giving birth to that which is “very good.” We truly can, in Christ, count it “all” joy.
