Do not set up camp

There will be times in the Christian walk where we are at a low. There are times when prayers aren’t answered quickly or in the way we envisioned. He is the God of the hills and valleys. He is your God in the wilderness and in the the fertile lands.

"Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."(Psalm 23:4 NIV).

"I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer. I have overcome the world." (John 16:33 NIV).

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult.” (Psalm 46:1-3 NIV).

Do not set up camp, it is so easy to hunker down and get comfortable in the low. The loss, the sense of failure, the depression become normal and we camp there- sometimes even becoming angry with God for being there. In the valley and the wilderness we need to look up. Trust that this is a season and seasons change. When we set up camp in the low times the enemy comes and settles with us there. The enemy whispers that you will never climb the hill or find the fertile land. The enemy convinces you that you aren’t strong enough and God won’t help you. The excuses and self pity start to pile up and you camp there.

There is a story in the Bible about a man ”… who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.” (John‬ ‭5:5‬ ‭NIV‬‬) and when Jesus asks him if he wants healed, he replies with excuses as to why he hasn’t yet been healed. He tells Jesus, ““Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.””

‭(John‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NIV) As the story continues, Jesus does heal the man‬‬, but this man had set up camp in his suffering and first had to realize he even wanted to be healed.

Do not set up camp in the low, the valley, the wilderness. Trust in Jesus, look up, take up your camp and walk to the hill, to the fertile land.

Imagery of the Pool of Bethesda