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Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. – Psalm 23:4

We face struggle in life from deep valleys of financial issues, health matters, or loss of a loved one but we can overcome. From the valley, we can climb higher using prayer to scale spiritual summits. By praying in the name of Jesus, we can pray with confidence because Jesus has entered in with grace, so we never fall to the bottom again. Our reaction to difficult times should be to accept the help which is the power of the Holy Spirit to get through the time and to look forward to the reward on the other side. 

Reading John 16:12-24, there are three aspects of the Spirit’s work with the believer. One is that the Spirit guides into all the Truth. He will communicate Truth from the Father because there is a relationship between the Father, Son, and Spirit. The second aspect is provision. A believer can ask for help in Jesus’ name through prayer to carry out God’s work. The third aspect is encouragement to turn the tide. Grief will turn to joy (v. 20) so hang on.

Yes, life can be like a roller coaster ride. There are deep low points and then a climb to a high point only to go downhill again with twist and turns. So we are to buckle up, and stay encouraged that the scary ride will lead to great joy in the end.

In the passage today, the feeling of a woman giving birth is compared to what the disciples will feel. There will be pain and anguish when Jesus leaves them, but great joy afterwards. Think about the birth of Jesus. It was a difficult experience with no nurses, medical technicians, epidurals, or monitors. The humble birth in the stable led to great joy because it set in motion a new kingdom to come with the King of all kings in charge.

When adding up all mixed emotions from despair to joy, let us solve all problems with Jesus. The answer to any problem has Jesus as the common denominator. Ask for God’s help in prayer because He can take a temporary defeat and turn it into a major victory with great joy.

This day with You God, we can climb higher. There is recovery from the valleys of this broken world to new heights. The birth of eternity was a traumatic experience and many things in life are filled with strive, struggle, and danger. We are thankful that You have the answer to our problems as grace enters into the equation so we can reach spiritual summits never reached before. We pray in Jesus’ name with confidence because the Holy Spirit will guide, You will provide, and there will be a change in tide. Amen.