Growing Deeper

Life has a peculiar rhythm. One moment we're experiencing spiritual highs, sensing God's presence powerfully, and the next we find ourselves in valleys so deep we can barely see the light. This pattern isn't new—it's woven throughout Scripture and human experience, reminding us that faith isn't about avoiding the valleys but about learning to trust God within them.
The Widow's Journey: From Provision to Desperation
The story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath captures this rhythm perfectly. Here was a woman who had stepped out in radical faith. When the prophet Elijah asked her for food during a devastating drought, she was down to her last meal—literally preparing to use her final bit of oil and flour before she and her son would face starvation.
Yet when Elijah promised that if she would put God first, her oil and flour would not run out, she believed. And miraculously, day after day, the oil kept flowing and the flour kept appearing. Imagine her amazement. Imagine her growing confidence in this God who provided so abundantly. Life was good. God was faithful. Everything made sense.
And then tragedy struck.
Her son became deathly ill. Despite everything she tried, nothing worked. The boy who was so precious to her, the one she had almost lost to starvation but who had been sustained by God's miraculous provision, now lay lifeless. No breath remained in him.
Suddenly, all her questions came flooding back. "What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance and to kill my son?" She had been obedient. She had done what God asked. And this was the thanks she received?
The Honesty of Questioning God
Here's a truth we often struggle to accept: It's okay to question God.
King David did it. In Psalm 22, he cried out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? O my God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent."
Even Jesus questioned God. Hanging on the cross, bearing the weight of humanity's sin, He cried out those same words from Psalm 22: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?"
If David questioned God, if Jesus questioned God, then we're in good company when we bring our honest confusion and pain before the Father. The key isn't whether we question—it's what we do with those questions.
Why Do We Face Impossible Situations?
Understanding why we go through difficulties can help us navigate them with greater faith. There are at least five reasons we encounter valleys:
First, we live in a sin-filled world. Being a Christ-follower doesn't make us immune to sickness, death, sorrow, or suffering. The world is broken, and we experience the consequences of that brokenness.
Second, sin in our own lives brings consequences. Romans 6:23 reminds us that "the wages of sin is death"—both physical and spiritual separation from God. Even when we repent, some consequences remain.
Third, we have an enemy. Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10). He wants to destroy our joy, steal our peace, and kill our relationship with God.
Fourth, we make poor choices. Sometimes we try to blame difficulties on spiritual warfare when really we've just made unwise decisions. Financial struggles might not be spiritual attack—they might be the result of overspending and poor stewardship.
Fifth, God sometimes allows difficulties. But here's the critical distinction: God will never lead us into evil or tempt us to sin. Instead, like Joseph's story demonstrates, God can take what others meant for evil and use it for good and His glory.
The Power of Persistent Prayer
When Elijah saw the widow's dead son, he didn't give up. He didn't shrug his shoulders and say, "Well, that's unfortunate." Instead, he did something unprecedented.
No one had been raised from the dead before this moment. There was no manual to consult, no previous example to follow. But Elijah knew where to turn: to God Himself.
He stretched himself over the child three times and cried out, "O Lord my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him."
And God heard him. The child's life returned.
This is where we need to be when facing impossible situations—crying out to God. Not running from Him, not blaming Him, not abandoning our faith, but pressing into His presence with desperate, humble prayer.
The Pattern for Desperate Times
James 5:13-16 gives us a beautiful pattern for navigating life's difficulties:

• Is anyone suffering? Let them pray.
• Is anyone cheerful? Let them sing praises.
• Is anyone sick? Let them call for the spiritual leaders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil.

This passage emphasizes something crucial: the power of humble, faith-filled prayer. But it also requires something from us—the humility to admit we need help, the faith to believe God can work, and the willingness to confess our sins and make things right with God and others.
James reminds us that "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours." He wasn't superhuman. He put his pants on one leg at a time, just like we do. But he earnestly sought God, and God worked powerfully through him.
Even When Life Is Hard, God Is Still Good
The widow's response after her son was restored is telling: "Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth."
Her faith was deepened not just by the provision of oil and flour, but by God's power to do the impossible—to bring life from death.
This is the journey of faith. We don't just believe God when life is easy. We learn to trust Him when life makes no sense, when our hearts are breaking, when we're facing situations that seem impossible.
Because here's the truth that anchors us through every storm: With God, all things are possible.
The same God who raised that widow's son from the dead is the God who raised Jesus from the grave. And if He can conquer death itself, there is nothing in your life that is beyond His power to redeem, restore, and resurrect.
Your Invitation
Whatever impossible situation you're facing today—whether it's physical illness, relational brokenness, financial crisis, spiritual dryness, or overwhelming grief—you have an invitation to bring it before the God of the impossible.
Don't run from Him. Run to Him.
Don't hide your questions. Bring them honestly before His throne.
Don't try to fake spiritual strength you don't feel. Come with humble authenticity.
And then watch. Watch as the God who provided oil and flour, who restored breath to a lifeless child, who raised His own Son from death, works in your impossible situation.
He may not answer the way you expect. He may say yes, no, or wait. But He will answer. And through it all, you'll discover what countless believers before you have learned: all your life, He has been faithful. All your life, He has been good.
Even in the valley, especially in the valley, God is still good.
 

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