Sometimes when we are in the middle of a storm, all we want is for someone to say, “You’ll make it.  I went through the exact same thing, and I made it.  You’ll make it, too.”

No matter the crisis we are in, that’s what we want to hear.  We want to know that it is possible to survive whatever we’re enduring because there are survivors in our midst.  This knowledge is often the only thing that gives us any hope.

For this kind of hope to work, though, two-fold transparency is a must.

Those who are struggling have to be brave enough to admit out loud that they are at the end of their ropes.  They have to be willing to share the ugly details of their situations with others so those who have survived the same exact thing can know those struggling are in need of encouragement.

On the other hand, you survivors have to be brave enough to admit out loud that you have struggled in the past.  You have to be willing to share the ugly details of your situations with others so those who are struggling the exact same way you did can be encouraged that surviving – and, eventually, even thriving – is entirely possible.

This kind of sharing is good and profitable and biblical (Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:25).

But even if you don’t have survivors cheering you on right now, if you are a believer, you have something even better.

God says you will make it.

No matter the struggle, though it may be inconceivable to others in your life, it is not inconceivable to Him.  He knew you would face this storm before you were born.  He saw it coming, and He knows every detail of the situation.

And, still, He says, “You will make it.”

He knows how bad it feels, how hopeless it seems, and how impossible Satan has deceived you into thinking it is.

And, still, He says, “You WILL make it.”

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future,'” (Jeremiah 29:11).

God has plans for believers – good plans.  And He cannot break His promise.  Psalm 33:11 reads, “But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”

Put the two verses together, and you see why God says to us with confidence, “You will make it.”

When you find yourself believing you cannot possibly survive your situation, remember the Lord’s promise to those who love Him.  He has a plan set in stone to prosper you and give you hope.

So hang on.