Proverbs 24:10 - If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.
When I was about seven years old, I remember going to a day camp. It was out in the country and seemed like it took us all day to get there. When we drove up to the camp, the counselors told us that the first activity we would do would be to ride horses. Like everyone else, I was excited. Like everyone else, I cheered. Like everyone else I looked out the window to see if I could see horses.
Unlike everyone else, I stayed on the bus. There was no way I was going to get close to one of those huge animals, much less ride one. They were big and looked like a mass of mean, “I love to stomp on little kids” muscle, with a little bit of hair and two eyes.
With some persuasion from two counselors, I finally got off the bus and was “escorted” to the corral. I don’t remember the details, but I eventually found myself on top of a horse. And I can admit, a few decades later, that the experience wasn’t that bad. The horse I rode was gentle and easy going. He didn’t make any moves to stomp on me or any other little kid like I had imaged. If it hadn’t been for my two counselors, I would have never had the experience, nor face and overcome my fear.
In life we will face many days of distress: a layoff from a job, a bad report from a doctor, a spouse who decides to leave us, failure at school or a job, getting falsely accused, rejection from friends or family members, bad news about one of our kids, a challenging situation with which we have no or little control. And the “real” problem occurs when we begin to dwell on all the “what if’s” of the situation and make the situation bigger than our God.
But Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us that in Christ we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is actually a down payment for our inheritance to come. This Counselor will be with us forever (John 14:16) through every minute of our days of distress. He is the other “Comforter” that Jesus sent; our ever present Helper. We may get nervous and feel apprehension during our trials, but just like the counselors who helped a frightened city kid get on a horse for the first time, your Counselor is there to help you step by step, day by day. Let Him help you “saddle up” and face the challenges of the day. He is always your strength and your peace.
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