Tough times.
We all have them. Sometimes they come like an envelope in the mail—addressed only to you! Other times they are experienced by everyone around us as a flood of sorts that threaten to sweep us off our feet.
Troubling times come for our peace, our confidence, our well-being and, in the worst of cases, can even shake our faith in God’s ability to see us through. Perhaps, worst of all, the Bible promises us that we will walk through troubling times. In what I believe is the worst prophetic word in the Bible, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble,” which, in my opinion just sounds awful!
In the context of the whole verse, however, we find reason to lift our heads a little higher, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33, NIV). Hallelujah! God will lead us through!
But how? How do we find strength for the journey and encouragement during troubling times? God has a secret, and thankfully for us, He has revealed it to us in the Word of God.
Troubling times weren’t just reserved for our day. No, not at all. The men and women during the days of the Bible experienced difficulty just like us. Individuals like Moses, Hannah, David and even our Lord Jesus Himself experienced “dark nights of the soul.” So the question remains, “What is God’s secret to getting through troubling times?
In 1 Samuel 30, David reaches the darkest day of his life. While he and his men were away from their camp, it was raided by his enemies, and his family and possessions were taken away. What wasn’t taken was burned to the ground. But it wasn’t only David’s family, it was the family and possessions of everyone around him. The pain and grief of the moment was so intense, David’s closest friends now turned on him, picked up stones and were about to take David’s life as payment for their grief.
It was in that moment, David accessed God’s secret.
The Word of God states that, “David found strength in the Lord his God” (1 Sam. 30:6b). He then sought the Lord through prayer, received prophetic direction and obtained a breakthrough that launched him into the next season. Praise God for His provision in difficult times!
Hannah accessed the secret when she was barren and full of shame. She got before the Lord and poured out her heart and prayer. She accessed supernatural strength and grace and obtained a blessing that she had lived her whole life without (see 1 Sam. 1:9-20).
And finally, even the Lord Jesus Christ, on the night that He was betrayed, falsely accused and crucified for the sins of the world, when His soul was crushed to the point of death, got alone before the Father and poured out His heart in prayer. As a result, He experienced supernatural strengthening as the Father commissioned angelic ministry to support Him in the ultimate time of trouble (Luke 22:42-43).
So have you seen it yet? God’s secret to getting through troubling times is something called “the secret place.” The secret place is the place of prayer, intercession and intimacy with God. It is the place where strength, favor, supernatural breakthrough and deliverance dwells. It is the place where God has ordained strength for His children for, “those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31).
I’m passionate about helping people access everything that God has made available to them in the secret place. This was the driving force behind creating “The Secret Place Revealed,” a brand new e-course that for a limited time, I’m giving away free of charge, available here.
I know that as the collective body of Christ, many of us feel as though we are in troubling times. But I want you to know today, on the authority of the Word of God, that Christ Jesus has established peace for us to walk through today and whatever tomorrow may hold.
My prayer for you is that you would continue to access the secret place of His presence, and walk in new grace for God’s calling upon your life! Let’s run back to His presence, and back to the secret place of prayer! {eoa}
Jeff Struss is an emerging apostolic voice in this generation. Operating with a strong prophetic anointing, he has a passion to experience the presence of God and to help others do the same. He and his wife, JoAnna ,are founding pastors of the church community Life Center Lynchburg. He leads Jeff Struss Ministries, Inc., an international, nonprofit organization that seeks to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ through books and podcasts as well as new media technology. He is the host of the Charisma Podcast Network show Presence, Power and Glory With Jeff Struss, is the proud father of four children and resides in Orlando, Florida.
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