“Catching a glimpse of God’s perspective can give us courage, even in the most difficult circumstances.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – October 21, 2025
Lord, how many are my foes!
How many rise up against me!
Many are saying of me,
“God will not deliver him.”
But you, Lord, are a shield around me,
my glory, the One who lifts my head high.
I call out to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.
I lie down and sleep;
I wake again, because the Lord sustains me.
I will not fear though tens of thousands
assail me on every side. Psalm 3:1-6
I recently read a children’s version of Pilgrim’s Progress with my son, and I’ll be honest. At times, I wondered if it wasn’t a bit overly heavy and dark for a young readership. The poor little pilgrims face trial after trial, discouragement after discouragement, long dry road after… you get the idea. But on one occasion, they finally surface from slogging it in the slough and find themselves on a mountain top where, off in the distance, they can just make out the shimmering light of the Celestial City that is their destination. That one glimpse is enough to keep them on course and renew their certainty that the Good King will help them each step of the way.
Heavy, yes. But absolutely true to life. So many of our days are spent in the trenches. And when grief, loneliness, and discouragement feel like too much to bear, we are left wondering what we’re fighting for, or if hope has run out. Even the heroes of faith in Scripture had to walk through valleys of doubt and discouragement. But just when despair threatened to snuff out their hope, God, time and time again, granted a glimpse of a bigger picture, a God’s-eye view that set their trials in perspective in light of his untiring, eternal work.
When Job cried out in frustration to God from his grief, God’s reply? He took Job on a soaring tour of the unsearchable grandeur of creation, lifting Job’s eyes out of the gloom of his own circumstances upward, to the God that holds the universe, and each one of us, in his hands. When Elijah despaired of his life and lamented that he alone in Israel still served the one true God? God gave him food and drink and reassured him that He had reserved thousands of faithful ones to stand at his side. When Elisha’s servant’s heart fainted at the sight of the indomitable enemy before him, God opened his eyes to the holy army in chariots of fire poised to defend them. And when Christ walked willingly to his cross, he looked above and beyond it, and endured the agony “for the joy set before him” (Hebrews 12:2).
Discouragement is part and parcel of living in a world still invaded by the enemy. But when we raise our eyes to the God who hung the stars and set the planets in motion, we gain fresh perspective that he is still at work. When we look to the cross at the God who came near to bear our suffering for us, we gain courage that we are not alone. And that moment on the mountain top, that glimmering glimpse behind the veil, is enough.
Prayer
Mighty God and loving Father, when I am discouraged, lift my eyes to your greatness and faithfulness. Remind me that you are with me in the valley. In your good time, lead me to the heights where I can catch a glimpse of the work you are still doing and will complete.
Application
Discouraged? Feast on the stories of God’s faithfulness in Scripture. Ask him to open your eyes to his ongoing work in our times.
Related Reading
Job 38:4; Habakkuk 2:20; 1 Kings 19:14-18; 2 Kings 6:15-17
Worship Resource
Kristin and Keith Getty: The Lord is in His Holy Temple
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