Sometimes all we can do is hold on. And that’s okay.

It’s been a rough couple weeks in my neck of the woods, and I found great comfort in those words.

It’s okay if you’re just holding on. Just make sure you’re holding on to God.

Recently I found myself in heavy agreement with Psalm 118:13 – “I was pushed back and about to fall…”

Sometimes circumstances or the things of this world can catch you off guard or push you to the ground. It can be a blur of a whirlwind or it can feel like a slow-motion fall.

But if you keep reading Psalm 118, there’s hope waiting around the corner.

“I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: ‘The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!'”- Psalm 118:13-16

God is able and willing to help us; He wants to give us strength and salvation. Shouts of joy and victory can resound in our homes because Jesus is victorious! The battle is brutal, but the war has already been won.

Just hold on.

Isaiah 40:31 is a favorite verse that came to mind, but I want to start at verse 27…

“Why do you say, O Jacob, and complain, O Israel, ‘My way is hidden from the Lord; my cause is disregarded by my God?'” – Isaiah 40:27

Have you ever felt like that? That maybe God was missing out on what was happening to you? Let’s keep reading!

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” – Isaiah 40:28-31

God doesn’t get tired or weary like we do. His strength is limitless, and it’s available to us. When we hope in Him, we hold on to Him – and we find the refreshment we so desperately need. Notice how it says He gives strength to the weary – not the self-sufficient. He increases the power of the weak – not those who are strong on their own. Those who hope in Him will renew their strength.

Just hold on.

He is with you – you’re not alone!

“But now, this is what the Lord says— He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.'” Isaiah 43:1-2

No matter what you’re going through, He is going through it with you.

“But me He caught—reached all the way from sky to sea; He pulled me out of that ocean of hate, that enemy chaos, the void in which I was drowning. They hit me when I was down, but God stuck by me. He stood me up on a wide-open field; I stood there saved—surprised to be loved!” – Psalm‬ ‭18:16-19‬ ‭(MSG‬‬)

When you feel like you’re falling, be caught – by His arms of love, by His gaze of grace. Receive it! He is faithful to catch you. His arm is not too short to save. He’s already there, ready and waiting. Be caught.

And just hold on.

This week I read Isaiah 42:20, and was challenged by its words: “You have seen many things, but you pay no attention; your ears are open, but you do not listen.” God wants us to pay attention to what’s happening around us, to look for Him and listen to Him.

Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” He wants us to see what He’s doing in our midst, in this moment! He’s making a way where there seems to be no way; He is bringing life and provision to the places where we’ve witnessed death and depletion.

‭‭I believe God wants us to rise up in this season, but not in our own strength. In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul wrote about an exchange he had with Jesus. “But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” When we’re strong, we don’t need God. When we recognize we need God, He becomes strength for us. His grace is sufficient – He’s more than enough. We need His power to rest on us in our weakness.

I’m finding (maybe now more than ever) – if it’s not one thing, it’s another. There’s always something.

So if you feel like giving up or giving in… if you’re overwhelmed by the world… if you’ve reached the end of yourself… if you’re stumbling or wandering… if you feel like you’re falling…

Be still. Breathe. Know that He is God. Fix your eyes on Him. Turn your heart to Him. Lean in to Him and trust His Word. Let Him catch you.

Just hold on.

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.” – 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4:16-18‬ ‭(MSG‬‬)

To watch a video of this teaching, check out my YouTube channel!

This week’s song suggestions (covers by Jon Wright Music):

• When the Fight Calls by Hillsong Young & Free
• I’ll Find You by Lecrae feat. Tori Kelly