Slough of Despond
Are you a depressed and battle-weary pilgrim? In John Bunyan's book, Pilgrim's Progress, the main character, Christian, fled his home for fear of coming destruction. Over and over again throughout the story, Christian stumbles and falls into difficulties, his journey takes him places he never intended to go – like the Slough (Swamp) of Despond or through Vanity Fair, or down a number of dead-ends that lead nowhere and slow down the journey or end it altogether.
When Christian falls into the "Slough of Despond," he was told the reason he had fallen into it was because he had taken his eyes off the distant light that showed the correct places to step, which the king had marked out. Christian struggles to get free from the pit but the heavy burden on his back pulls him in deeper, and he begins to sink. Christian's rescue came by the hand of a fellow traveller named Help . . . and the same is true for us today, discouragement, despondency, pain, suffering—these miry pits along life's journey can pull us down into our own "slough of despond."
Sometimes we can look too much at circumstances, instead of at the light God provides, and fall into the stagnant mire and muck. But we must keep our eyes focused on Jesus and remind ourselves that God is in control of His plan.
Christian found that only as he pressed forward could he both continue and overcome…listen to his thoughts:
This hill, though high, I covet to ascend
The difficulty will not me offend.
For I perceive the way of life lies here:
Come, pluck up heart, let's neither faint nor fear.
Better, though difficult, the right way to go,
Than wrong, though easy, where the end is woe.
Prayer: When the journey gets rough and the path obscure, open our eyes to see Christ before us, Christ behind us, Christ beside us, Christ our all in all. Amen.
There is a song that encouraged me as I served on team at New Wine again this year. If you have time take a listen to 'Guardian' by Ben Cantelon [4 mins:YouTube].
Dawn Milward
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