By Jill Boman


Lately I have noticed a lot of people who are facing difficult circumstances. I realize that there are always people in crisis, but for some reason it seems like they are all crossing my path! I’m not complaining—in fact I am honored that God would entrust me to come alongside friends and acquaintances in a supportive way. Several years ago I experienced a devastating circumstance myself. I have since discovered, through talking with several others who have faced their own challenges and tragedies, that despite the diversity of situations, the effects left on people are surprisingly alike. So rather than getting into the specific details of my own experience, I would like to share some of the insights gained along the course.

I think the most important place to begin is to realize that no matter what you are facing, God will make a way for you to walk through it. If that seems too easily stated, let me assure you that it comes from first-hand experience of watching God walk myself as well as others through what was thought to be impossible situations. Fortunately when we walk, it comes one step at a time—no need to have the whole path mastered right now! There are times when we just need to get through each day.

Isaiah 43:16 and 19 promises us that God makes a way through the sea, a path through mighty waters, a roadway in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. This is not a guarantee that we won’t have difficulties to walk through; life happens. I’ve wondered how often people set them selves up for disillusionment with God by trusting Him for the wrong things. The Bible doesn’t promise us that we won’t have problems in life. Actually, the opposite seems true. Jesus said that each day has trouble (Mt 6:24) and the scriptures repeatedly refer to the challenges we face as if they are a normal part of life. “Consider it all joy when you encounter various trials,” we are told in the first chapter of James. So while it may be unrealistic to expect God to always keep challenges at bay, we can trust Him to provide a way through anything.

When I was growing up our cow had a calf during an exceptionally snowy winter. One day the calf leaped into the snow outside the protection of our barn, and got stuck in snow so deep that he couldn’t see his mother. All the poor little guy could do was stand still and cry for her. Being a good mother, the cow trudged out to where her baby was and then slowly walked backwards, clearing a path for him and “mooing” encouragingly the whole way.

A few years ago, while I was in the thick of it, the Lord gave me a vision of Himself doing the same thing for me (except for the “mooing” part!). I had become panicky about my situation—it was intensely painful, scary, and seemingly hopeless. I wasn’t seeing a lot of improvement and began to ask God, “How much longer? I can’t stand this—it feels like I’ve been at the end of my rope forever.” I saw in my mind a picture of Jesus standing before me, facing me, and walking backwards. The scene was like what you see in movies when a child is stuck in a dangerously high place and a fireman is rescuing him. Jesus was pointing to His eyes and saying things like, “Don’t look down…Keep your eyes on My eyes…Oops, don’t look away…One step at a time…We’re gonna make it…”

Psalm 119:45 says, “I will walk at liberty for I seek Thy precepts.” In my study Bible there is a note attached to the word “liberty” in that verse. It says that it literally means “a wide place.” In other words, if you believe in Him and are seeking His ways for your life, you have a wide place to walk. I know what it is like to be paralyzed with fear, afraid to move, as if balancing on a tightrope. But I have learned that you don’t have to be afraid. When you look towards God, you can move forward, knowing that there will be a place for you to step.

Thankfully, God not only clears a path for us but He also enables our own feet and legs to walk it. Remember that it is Him alive in you, whether you “feel” it or not, that makes you able (Phil. 2:13). The psalmist, David, reveled in that empowerment when he wrote about the “God who girds me with strength,” and “enlarges my steps under me…my feet have not slipped” (Psalms 18:32, 36). Habakkuk 3:19 paints a picture of God helping His people to navigate life’s rocky terrain: “The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, and makes me walk on my high places.”

A few years ago my kids and I joined a group of friends on a hike to a forest service lookout tower at Goat Peak, in the North Cascade mountain range. It was a gorgeous, sunny day in July, but we were high enough to walk past patches of snow. The steep trail kept reaching higher and higher, revealing to me how out of shape I was! We saw wildflower meadows and stunning glimpses of valleys below, like “carrots” dangling before us, beckoning us on in spite of our burning muscles and gasping lungs. As we passed one of the snow patches, a friend of mine purposely fell, arms extended and face first, into the snow for some refreshment! When we finally reached the top, two hours after starting, we were rewarded with breathtaking views of the snow-capped peaks surrounding us, as well as some original poetry reading by Lightening Bill, who was manning the lookout tower—we learned that he’s not called Lightening Bill for nothing! Even with all these rewards for our effort, what was most impressive was realizing how high we had climbed. I couldn’t have guessed at the beginning of the hike that the trail would take us so far! To give you an idea of the accomplishment, after the two grueling hours it took to make it to the top, we were able to reach the bottom in only thirty minutes!

Life is sometimes like hiking to Goat Peak. There are seasons when we must endure what we never thought we could. But if we choose to look to God as our source during those times, we will be amazed to discover how very high and far we are able to go. Never in a million years did I think I would have to face what I did, and many times during the worst of it I didn’t believe I could go any further. But God surprised me. Although it was hard to see progress on a daily or weekly basis, I could look back over the previous six months or a year or more with amazement. It gave me courage to know that if God had gotten me as far as He already had, surely He could bring me further. He proved Himself faithful to me. He did what He said He would do in His Word. He cleared a path for me and then enabled me to walk it. If you have been wondering how you are going to make it through your present situation, I promise you that as you look to God, He will do it for you also.