VL - Issue 43- April 22
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Keep<br />
Pressing<br />
On<br />
BY MELISHA JOHNSON<br />
“I PRESS ON TO TAKE<br />
HOLD OF THAT FOR WHICH<br />
CHRIST JESUS TOOK<br />
HOLD OF ME. ... ONE THING<br />
I DO: FORGETTING WHAT IS<br />
BEHIND AND STRAINING<br />
TOWARD WHAT IS AHEAD,<br />
I PRESS ON TOWARD THE<br />
GOAL TO WIN THE PRIZE<br />
FOR WHICH GOD HAS<br />
CALLED ME HEAVENWARD<br />
IN CHRIST JESUS.”<br />
PHILIPPIANS 3:12–14 NIV<br />
Often there is a valley between what we<br />
are praying for and God’s answer, and the<br />
only way to get to His answer is to walk<br />
through that valley. The journey is rarely<br />
easy. Disappointment, discouragement,<br />
fear, and frustration challenge our faith,<br />
and we wonder if God has abandoned us.<br />
I have learned, though, that God never<br />
lets us walk through dark valleys alone<br />
(Psalm 23:4), even though it might feel<br />
like it at times. In the fall of 2020, I found<br />
myself in such a valley.<br />
As the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked<br />
havoc in the free world, those of us doing<br />
time behind bars were also experiencing<br />
new levels of anxiety and helplessness.<br />
When I heard of the possibility of a home<br />
confinement release, I half-heartedly began<br />
looking into it. I tried hard not to get<br />
my hopes up. And then I found out I was<br />
eligible, and I began praying constantly.<br />
20 <strong>Issue</strong> 02 / 20<strong>22</strong> VICTORIOUSLIVINGMAGAZINE.COM