“Have you prayed about it?” If you’re reading this, you’ve most likely been asked this question at some point in your life. Oftentimes, when talking to a fellow believer about a difficult season you are walking through, that is the first thing they think to ask. Everything in your body wants to scream, “YES! Don’t you think that’s the first thing I did?” That question can almost make you feel defeated. It’s as if someone is saying praying about it will make it go away.
For so many of us, we tend to feel broken and ashamed of the burdens we carry. Praying about it doesn’t seem to work. Seeking counsel may not work. The five different medications may not work either. Getting to the point of hopelessness is one of the most tiresome things anybody can walk through. When you feel hopeless, feeling alone becomes so easy. Isolation is what the enemy uses so he can distance you from God. If you have ever struggled with grief or mental health, I hope you can feel encouraged to not only keep going, but to remember that the lies the enemy tells you just simply are not true.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “ Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” That seems way easier said than it is done. How am I supposed to always rejoice, and continually pray when my world is falling apart, and my prayers aren’t working. 
Depression and grief are best friends. Living with grief and depression is like walking through life with a constant fog or smoke surrounding you. Sometimes it’s a light haze, and you can still see where you’re going. Other days, it’s like walking through a forest fire. It’s dark, it burns, and you can’t tell if you’re in a field or walking on the edge of a cliff. Remaining faithful through the light haze as well as the thick smoke is what strengthens our faith. I know for me, personally, I felt like I was supposed to pray for the smoke to go away entirely. It took me a few years to realize this, but Jesus wasn’t asking me to pray the smoke away. He was asking me to invite Him into the smoke with me.
One of my favorite stories in the Bible to refer back to during hard times is in Daniel 3. This story literally describes the image of God not just taking the hurt away, but stepping into the story. “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like a son of the gods.” Daniel 3:25. I think this is such a beautiful image because imagining Jesus stepping into our hurts and heartbreaks can be hard to do. Jesus wants us to ask Him why the hard things happen, because in the bottom of the valley is where the most grows. Through every trial, fire, and path filled with smoke you may walk, He is right there beside you. Stretching you, teaching you, and growing you. Turn to him, and ask him to step into the flames with you. When you want to pull away the most, you have to press in the hardest.
