Jeremiah 23:5 (NLT)
“For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom.”
Introduction
When life is hard, where do you look for hope?
If we’re being honest, there are seasons when hope feels like a luxury—something other people get to have, but not us. Life is full of valleys: illness, grief, financial stress, broken relationships, long seasons of waiting. And in those moments, the future can feel like a fog. You can’t see what’s ahead. Sometimes, you’re just trying to survive the day.
But Scripture—and history—are full of stories where the fog didn’t have the final word.
Take Fanny J. Crosby, for example. She’s one of the most prolific hymn writers the church has ever known. She wrote over 8,000 hymns in her lifetime—songs we still sing today, like “To God Be the Glory,” “I am Thine, Oh Lord” and “Blessed Assurance.”
But what many people don’t realize is that she was completely blind. She lost her sight as an infant due to a doctor’s mistake. She had an eye infection and the physician followed current medical advice for the time which was to apply a mustard plaster to the infection which most likely burned her corneas. What could have been a life defined by tragedy instead became a life marked by praise.
Fanny once said, “It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank Him for the dispensation.”
She couldn’t see the world around her—but she saw the goodness of God with remarkable clarity. And her hymns have brought hope to millions because she chose to let God use what she didn’t choose.
She didn’t always understand the “why.” But she trusted that God was doing something with her pain. At 39, Fanny had her only child, a daughter who subsequently died of what we now know as SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Her reaction to what is most likely the most painful any mother can experience? She wrote a hymn, “Safe in the Arms of Jesus”.
I’d like to read you a few lines of that hymn
Safe in the arms of Jesus,
safe from corroding care,
safe from the world’s temptations,
sin cannot harm me there.
Free from the blight of sorrow,
free from my doubts and fears;
only a few more trials,
only a few more tears!
These are the words of a mother who just lost her only child, and a perfect example of how we should be looking for hope in the midst of the pain we may be experiencing.
And that brings us to our Scripture this morning—Jeremiah 23:5. A promise spoken not in a time of triumph, but in a time of national failure and fear. The people of God were in exile. Their world had fallen apart. And in the middle of it, God speaks:
“The time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom.”
A promise of something better. A future not defined by exile, but by redemption. A future worth hoping for.
And today I want to talk about why that kind of hope still matters—especially when life is hard. Because the truth is, we don’t always understand the “why” of our struggles until we’re on the other side of them. But even when we don’t have all the answers, we can still trust the God who sees the whole story.
Today I want to talk about some of the reasons that hard seasons happen—and why they don’t mean hope is gone. Often, we don’t understand the “why” until we’ve made it through the valley and look back. But even when we don’t see the full picture, we can still trust the One who holds the brush. The three seasons we are going to talk about today are:
- Seasons of Rebuke
- Seasons of Preparation
- Seasons of Protection
Point 1: Sometimes God Is Rebuking Us Like a Loving Father
Proverbs 3:11-12: “My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.”
Hebrews 12:5-11 says, ““And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child.” As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.”The word for discipline in Hebrew is musar—a word that means correction with restoration in mind. It’s not about punishment for the sake of pain. It’s about shaping us, growing us, bringing us back to life.
Think about it: What good father sees his child running toward danger and just stays silent? A loving father steps in. He corrects. He disciplines. Not to harm, but to heal.
I don’t think anyone experienced this more than King David; the sin, the rebuke and the restoration.
2 Samuel tells the story of King David’s affair with Bathsheba, and the extent of David’s sin. He didn’t just commit adultery with Uriah’s wife, he called Uriah back from the same war he should have been gone leading.
11:1 In the spring of the year,[a] when kings normally go out to war, David sent Joab and the Israelite army to fight the Ammonites.
Upon Uriah’s return from war David tried to get him to go home and sleep with Bathsheba so that everyone would think that the child she was carrying was Uriah’s. But David’s plan was thwarted because Uriah wouldn’t go home to his wife; not because he was a heartless husband but because he was an honorable man.
10 When David heard that Uriah had not gone home, he summoned him and asked, “What’s the matter? Why didn’t you go home last night after being away for so long?”
11 Uriah replied, “The Ark and the armies of Israel and Judah are living in tents,[c] and Joab and my master’s men are camping in the open fields. How could I go home to wine and dine and sleep with my wife? I swear that I would never do such a thing.”
So what was David’s response? He sent a message back to the leader of his army giving instructions to have Uriah put in a place of certain death. To make matters worse he made Uriah carry his own sealed death warrant unaware and the murder of Uriah killed other men who were fighting needlessly beside him.
14 So the next morning David wrote a letter to Joab and gave it to Uriah to deliver. 15 The letter instructed Joab, “Station Uriah on the front lines where the battle is fiercest. Then pull back so that he will be killed.” 16 So Joab assigned Uriah to a spot close to the city wall where he knew the enemy’s strongest men were fighting. 17 And when the enemy soldiers came out of the city to fight, Uriah the Hittite was killed along with several other Israelite soldiers.
In order to cover up his own sin, King David fractured several other families unnecessarily removing their husbands and fathers in a day when a widowed woman was vulnerable. God, as a loving Father couldn’t allow his anointed king to live this way and still lead his people and the rebuke was swift and painful. God sent the prophet Nathan to David to tell him just how disappointed God was with his sin. While David did repent and confess his sin, Nathan unfortunately did have the uncomfortable responsibility of telling David that God was going to take the life of David and Bathsheba’s son just like David had taken the sons of those mother’s who children were the men alongside Uriah.
But God didn’t stop there, He is a gracious Father and he restored David and that is where the hope in this story comes. Chapter 12 goes on to say:
22 David replied, “I fasted and wept while the child was alive, for I said, ‘Perhaps the Lord will be gracious to me and let the child live.’ 23 But why should I fast when he is dead? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him one day, but he cannot return to me.”
24 Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife, and slept with her. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, and David[c] named him Solomon. The Lord loved the child 25 and sent word through Nathan the prophet that they should name him Jedidiah (which means “beloved of the Lord”), as the Lord had commanded.[d]
That Solomon would grow up to be King Solomon, the wisest man to ever live.
If you feel like you’re hitting a wall in life—if things keep falling apart—it might be worth asking: is God trying to get my attention?
We often see discipline as rejection. But in Scripture, it’s a sign that we belong. Sometimes the pain you feel isn’t rejection—it’s correction from a Father who loves you too much to leave you where you are.
Is there something God has been gently—or not so gently—trying to correct in you? What would it look like to receive that not as shame, but as an invitation to grow?
Point 2: Sometimes God Is Preparing You for What’s Next
James 1:2-4: 2 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
God isn’t just solving your problems. He’s preparing your purpose.
The Greek word for “tested” in that passage is dokimion—a refining process. Think of gold being melted down to remove the impurities. The heat is intense, but the end result is something stronger and more valuable.
If we want to see a life of highs and lows we need look no further than the story of Moses. Born as a slave in Egypt, due to the love of his mother and her willingness to risk it all to save her son, he miraculously became a prince of Egypt.
Moses spent the first 40 years of his life living in the palace as the adopted son of the princess. He grew up as part of the ruling family of a massive and powerful kingdom and had all the privileges and education that life afforded. He was aware of his lineage and of where he came and in a moment of passion it appeared he lost everything when he killed an Egyptian overseer who was abusing an Israelite slave.
He left the capital of Egypt and spent the next 40 years in the wilderness of Moab. He married his wife there and the time was spent tending sheep for his father-in-law Jethro; now fallen from the pinnacle of comfort to the role of a social outcast. Shephard’s were not seen as an important member of society. Throughout the years of keeping mindless sheep safe he was learning skills that God needed him to have to fulfill the mission He had for Moses.
How so you ask? You see God was working to create the single person that could save the Israelites from the bondage of their slavery. The pharaoh that was ruling when he killed the overseer had died when Moses returned to save the Israelites. Random foreigners don’t get an audience with the Pharoah, and certainly they do not get multiple audiences when each time they see the king brings increasing famines and pestilence. You know who does? Family. He was able to return to Egypt not as a foreign shepherd but as a member of the family, a prince of Egypt who knew his way around the palace and would understand the practices required to be accepted. I would like to think as am member of the family it would have been like the Prodigal Son and he would have been accepted at the gates and given a homecoming. He would understand the power of the pharaoh and the hundreds of chariots that were just outside the city, between it and the Red Sea.
Once they crossed over the Red Sea, Moses spent the last 40 years of his life combining all the skills the Lord had built into him over a lifetime. He leveraged his experience in a royal family to lead and solidify a nation. He used his experience as a shepherd to keep them focused when they were wandering the wilderness and at times acting as mindless as sheep!
You see, Moses’s life demonstrates that God isn’t just getting you through this—He might actually be getting you ready for what’s next.
What if your current challenge is training ground for your future calling? Are you letting this season stretch you—or just praying for it to end?
Point 3: Sometimes God Is Protecting You from a Storm You Can’t See
Psalm 23 says, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.”
In October 2014, one of the deadliest mountain storms in Nepal’s history swept across the Annapurna region—part of the Himalayas and home to some of the most breathtaking and popular trekking routes in the world.
It was peak hiking season. Clear skies just days earlier had drawn hundreds of hikers into the high mountain passes, especially the Thorong La Pass—one of the highest in the world, sitting at over 17,700 feet above sea level. Trekkers from all over the globe were ascending the ridges, believing the weather would hold. Many had even delayed their descent to enjoy the summit views just a bit longer.
But they didn’t realize that a post-monsoon cyclone, known as Cyclone Hudhud, was rapidly approaching from India. As that tropical system slammed into the Himalayan range, it collided with cold air at high altitude—creating a sudden, devastating blizzard with hurricane-force winds, freezing temperatures, and near-zero visibility. The storm dropped over six feet of snow in just 12 hours in some areas.
The people who were caught at the top, especially along exposed ridgelines and high passes, had no shelter. The storm moved in so quickly that many had no time to descend. Disoriented by whiteout conditions and buried by drifting snow, they faced the full force of nature with nowhere to hide.
At least 43 people died, including experienced hikers, local guides, and porters. Some froze to death. Others fell from cliffs, unable to see in the blinding snow. Entire groups vanished in minutes.
But here’s the part that matters for us today. Some hikers survived—not because they were stronger or faster, but because they were delayed.
A few groups had chosen to stop in the valleys—lower elevation areas tucked between mountains—because they were tired, moving more slowly, or even discouraged. Some had turned back or set up camp early due to minor injuries or weather concerns.
At the time, they were frustrated. It felt like they were falling behind.
But those valleys—those low places—became sanctuaries.
The towering peaks around them blocked the worst of the wind. The snow still came, but not with the same fury. Their tents stayed upright. Visibility was better. They had cover. And they lived. Some hikers even said afterward, “We were upset about not making the pass that day. But looking back, that delay saved our lives.”There are moments when the path you wanted gets blocked, and you think it’s failure. But what if it’s actually favor? What if the valley you’re in is the safest place you could be—because God is shielding you from a storm you didn’t even know was coming?
In 1 Kings 17, Elijah receives a strange assignment from God—one that likely didn’t feel like forward momentum. After boldly proclaiming to King Ahab that a drought would come upon the land, God tells Elijah to hide. Not to preach. Not to lead. Not even to keep speaking. Just to go east and hide in the Kerith Ravine. There, he would drink from a brook and be fed by ravens—day after day, alone, in the quiet.
It would’ve been easy to assume he’d been sidelined. Forgotten. Even demoted. But God wasn’t punishing Elijah—He was protecting him. The drought would bring hardship, danger, and conflict. Elijah’s message had made him a target. But in the ravine, tucked away between rocky cliffs and flowing water, Elijah was sheltered. The same God who called him to speak had also called him to rest and receive. And in that season of hiddenness, God sustained him—not with status or applause, but with provision from heaven.
Sometimes the most anointed thing you can do… is be still. Sometimes the valley isn’t a setback—it’s a shield. Like Elijah, you may feel tucked away, off the radar, not where you thought you’d be. But God sees you. And just like that ravine between the rocks, the quiet place may be exactly where He’s keeping you safe while He works out something far beyond your view.
God may have you in the valley—not to punish you—but to protect you from a storm you never saw coming.
Conclusion
If you truly belong to God—if you are His child—then you can rest in this truth: whatever the reason for your valley, it is always for your good.
Moses reminded the Israelites of this as they looked back on their wilderness journey.
Deuteronomy 8:2–5
2 Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. 3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. 4 For all these forty years your clothes didn’t wear out, and your feet didn’t blister or swell. 5 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the Lord your God disciplines you for your own good.
God doesn’t waste seasons. He disciplines to develop. He humbles to prepare. He withholds to teach trust. And through it all—He provides.
So if you’re in a valley right now, don’t assume you’ve been forgotten. Don’t assume you’re off course. If you’re His child, you can be sure: He’s still working.
Philippians 1:6
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Sometimes we don’t know what God was doing until we’re on the other side of it. But even when we don’t understand the why, we can trust the Who.
Jeremiah 23:5 isn’t just a hopeful verse—it’s a declaration of how God works.
He doesn’t abandon us in the valley.
He sends a King who rules with wisdom.
A Savior who steps into our mess.
A Redeemer who says, “I’m not done yet.”
And if He’s not done yet—then there is always a future worth hoping for.
And if that’s true—then the future, no matter how uncertain it feels today, is still in His hands. And that, my friends, is a future worth hoping for.
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