Lord, I Am Struggling: Where You Turn When Life Presses In
“But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’” — Matthew 4:4 (ESV)
On September 17, 2019, I wrote in my journal: “Lord, I am struggling. Help me to be nourished by your Word. Search my heart and direct me in your ways, according to your will, to serve your purposes for your glory. May all that I am and do be for you.”
I don’t remember the specific struggle behind that prayer, but I remember the instinct behind it — and it’s one worth paying attention to. When I was struggling, the thing I reached for was nourishment from God’s Word.
Here’s what I’ve learned about struggle: it always sends us looking for something. When life presses in, we go hunting — for relief, for comfort, for something to steady us. The question isn’t whether we’ll reach for something. We will. The question is what.
Out in the wilderness, Jesus faced that exact fork in the road. After forty days without food, at the very end of His strength, the tempter shows up with the most reasonable offer imaginable: turn these stones into bread. Feed yourself. Reach for the thing right in front of you. And Jesus answers, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4, ESV). At His weakest, hungriest, and most vulnerable moment, He reached past the substitute and took hold of the Word instead.
That’s the choice every struggle sets before us. We can reach for the bread — the quick relief that’s always within arm’s reach. Numbing out. Scrolling until we feel nothing. Control. The approval of others. A drink, a distraction, a fantasy of escape. None of it is nourishment. It fills the moment and leaves us emptier than before. Or we can reach for the Word — and be fed by the One who truly sustains.
I know which one holds. A few years ago, I walked through a season of deep loneliness and isolation. It would have been easy to sink — to let loneliness pull me into despair or to numb it however I could. But the Lord met me in His Word. He spoke to me through Isaiah 40:11: “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young” (ESV). That was the nourishment I needed. Not a fix for my circumstances, but a promise: I had a Shepherd who would tend to me in my loneliness, gather me up, carry me close, and lead me. That single verse kept me from sinking. Not because it made the loneliness disappear, but because it reminded me I wasn’t alone — I was being carried.
That’s what the Word does when we let it feed us. It doesn’t always change the struggle, but it changes us in the struggle — it steadies us, holds us, and reminds us who’s with us. So when you’re struggling and you feel that familiar pull, pause long enough to notice what your hand is going toward.
When the struggle sends you looking, don’t settle for bread that leaves you empty. Reach for the Word that holds you.
Big Idea
Every struggle sends us looking for nourishment. Only God’s Word truly feeds us — everything else just fills the moment and leaves us emptier.
Questions to Ponder
Are you struggling today? When you’re in it, what do you instinctively reach for first — and does it actually nourish you, or just fill the moment? Is there a substitute you keep turning to that leaves you emptier every time? What would it look like to reach for God’s Word in this specific struggle — to let Him feed you rather than numb the ache?
Application
With your journal in hand, name the struggle you’re carrying right now. Then be honest about what you’ve been reaching for to cope with it — write it down, whatever it is. Ask the Lord to show you whether it’s nourishing you or just numbing you. Then open His Word and ask Him to feed you. If you don’t know where to start, begin with a passage about His care — Isaiah 40:11, Psalm 23, or Matthew 11:28. Sit with it. Let it be your nourishment today instead of the substitute. And when the pull to reach for something else returns, come back to the Word again.
Before the Lord — a daily devotional by Blake S. Crawford. Read more and subscribe free at blakescrawford.com/before-the-lord.