As you go about your day, each step is weighted, and placing one foot in front of the other requires intense effort.  A smile may graze your lips, but it fails to reach your eyes.

Your heart carries the burdens of life—disappointment, loss, betrayal. You want to reach for the light. You want to feel healthy and whole.

You long to live. To breathe.

But you feel mired in a never-ending river of muck. Life seems…dark. And no matter how hard you search, you can’t find the blasted light switch.

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Have you been there?

Have you wondered if you will ever find your way out of the darkness?

I have. And if not for the anchor of God’s Word, I would surely still be there—blinded, and bumping against walls of fear and frustration.

My heart identifies with the psalmist:

He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand (Psalm 40:2).

I would not choose to be in a time of darkness. But it was there that I learned to love Jesus. At the end of myself, I reached for Him and my faith deepened to include texture and dimension.

Sunday morning Jesus became anchor-of-my-soul Jesus.

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I know I’m not the only one who has experienced such times. If you are looking for a great source of biblically-based encouragement, I highly recommend Sarah Van Diest’s new book, God in the Dark.

From the cover:

You are never alone.

Our Father shines his light in the darkness of this world, and nothing―no adversary, no lie, no doubt or discouragement―can extinguish that light. Sarah Van Diest has walked and crawled the darkened path and found the Father’s relentless faithfulness. These devotions are for you, to shine light and hope and to remind you that we never fight our battles alone.

“The impossible, unbearable, and unthinkable become the sacred passageway to truth, hope, and joy in Christ. Come, let us walk together.” –Sarah

On my journey through this book, I have cherished the beautiful thread of hope woven throughout. The focus is Christ and His redeeming work in our lives.

Sarah’s words build on the foundation of the Holy Scriptures and provide light and insight for the struggling soul.

If you are in a time of darkness, hold on. God’s Word is faithful and true. For the child of God, there is purpose in these moments.

He loves you. And you are never alone.

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If you would like to know more about Sarah and God in the Dark:

Educated as a teacher, Sarah taught school for nearly 20 years. As a young woman, she lived in China amid the rice paddies and water buffalo near Changsha, and then later taught English in Costa Rica for four years and raised her two sons. 

Sarah is married, the mother of 2 boys and the step-mother to 3 more. She and her husband, David, work together in their agency The Van Diest Literary Agency. 

 

She is a freelance editor (including a New York Times and USA Today bestseller), blogger (The Write Conversation) and writer for hire. Her first book releases with NavPress in 2018. 

http://christianliteraryagency.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sarah.gerkevandiest

https://twitter.com/SarahVanDiest

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope (Romans 15:13).

Have a blessed week!

Joyfully,

Leigh Ann