What happens when you fall off the horse? When all of those well-intentioned and passionate pronouncements of how you believe things are going to be go belly up?

There are two options; stay in the dust and eat dirt, or stand up, brush yourself down, and take another step. Even if the bruises of disappointment still sting when you do, another step is always the best way forward.

Life is not linear. We don’t see the beginning from the end, and the seeming diversions we are thrown into can befuddle our brain and challenge our reason. But history shows, even the Joseph in the pit, Daniel with the lions, and three boys in the fire moments, are prime times for the fourth Man to step into the fray and lift you to places you never before imagined possible.

Easy to say when you’re out of the lion’s den or sat on the Egyptian throne, I know, but these men had to walk their way there through stingingly difficult circumstances. Mary, the mother of Jesus, accepted her high call to carry God’s Son, not with stars in her eyes, fully understanding people would brand her a loose lady and maybe even lose her fiancé. The Scriptures even talk about how her heart would be pierced (Luke 2:35) so let’s not look with rose-tinted goggles at our pioneering forefathers and mothers in the faith.

My call is not nearly as exalted as theirs, something I thank God for, but nevertheless, we, you and I, have our own peculiar pathway to walk. There will be days when you’ll sing and rejoice in the overt goodness of God, and others when you’ll be dragged through the dirt and feel like giving up.

Now, the word of faith man I was raised to be, chokes on that last sentence. It irks me that I cannot sustain living on the peaks, but I have to admit, I have learned just as much if not more in the valleys, and I would not trade them for anything.

Sometimes the depths are where you dig deepest, and discover God in ways you never have chosen to explore had you not been led there.

Whatever tests you face, your King is able.

Whatever the day brings, He is with you to carry you through to victory.

We may not see the end, the fulfilment, the celestial city over the brow of the hill, but He does.

Let courage fill your heart today, and take your next courageous step.

Jesus is with you!