As the mountains...

As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people both now and forevermore. (Psalm 125:20)

Do you ever feel like the Lord has distanced Himself from you? Or like your prayers make it about as high as the ceiling and bounce right back in your face? Does your relationship with God ever grow cold and dry, and you find yourself, even though you truly believe the words of the Bible, wondering if it's all real?

Christians go through dry times, trying times. John Bunyan in "Pilgrim's Progress," wrote about a man named Pilgrim, and described his journey through the Christian life. At one time Pilgrim came to a place called "the slough of despond." It was a trying time when it seemed God was nowhere to be found, and he was just struggling along alone, slolgging through the mud of life.

But Pilgrim eventually learned that God had not abandoned him in the slough of despond. And we learn that God never leaves us, if we just keep trusting Him. Just as the mountains timelessly surround Jerusalem, our God is there, surrounding us, protecting us, and loving us, both now and forevermore.