On a recent trip to Acadia National Park, my wife and I spent hours hiking and exploring the Maine seacoast. One day, we followed the coastline from the northern tip of the park to the southern tip, crossing jagged boulders and climbing around ancient trees. Eventually, we arrived at a lookout, where the trees and rocks led way to an uninterrupted view of the ocean.  

As I reflect on this adventure, I can’t help but think about the seasons of life we encounter. Sometimes, the path looks clear, with few obstacles obscuring the trail from one stretch of coast to the next. Other times, the obstacles feel almost insurmountable. Years of violent storms and harsh winters have eroded the trail, making the way uncertain. We wonder if we should forge ahead or simply call it quits and turn around.

Does your life ever feel this way?

Maybe, after trying to support a family member with an alcohol addiction, you wonder when your life will return to normalcy. He has continually rejected your pleas to seek professional help, and you’re out of ideas to help him recover on his own. You wonder if the boulders in his way are simply too large.

Or maybe, after trying to survive a dead-end job , you just can’t take it anymore. You’re barely making ends meet, dread going to work each day and don’t know if you can endure another argument with your boss. But as you think about making a change, you feel intimidated by all the barriers in your way—updating your resume, locating job postings, selling yourself in an interview. You wonder if the trees are simply too dense; you wonder if you can make it any further.

Regardless of what stands in your way today, you can fall on your knees and share your fears with God. And you can meditate on messages of peace and hope found in the Bible, seeking the Lord for the strength to push on toward your lookout.

Will you join me in meditating on these four Psalms?

1. Psalm 27:1 (GNTD)
   The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.
2. Psalm 23:4 (GNTD)
   Even if I go through the deepest darkness, I will not be afraid, Lord, for you are with me. Your shepherd's rod and staff protect me.
3. Psalm 59:16-17 (GNTD)
   But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble. I will praise you, my defender. My refuge is God, the God who loves me.
4. Psalm 91:1-2 (GNTD)
   Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.”
5. Psalm 121:1-3 (GNTD)
   I look to the mountains; where will my help come from? My help will come from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let you fall; your protector is always awake.
6. Psalm 138:3 (GNTD)
   You answered me when I called to you; with your strength you strengthened me.