Do not try to tunnel under them, nor to squeeze through them, nor to run away from them, but to claim them.

Tighten your loins with the promises of God!

These mountains of difficulty are His stepping-stones; walk on them with holy joy.

Keep the strong staff of faith well in hand, and trust God in the dark.

We are safer with Him in the dark than without Him in the sunshine. At the end of the gloomy passage beams the heavenly light! When we reach heaven, we may discover that the richest and most profitable experiences that we had in this world were those gained on the very roads from which we shrank back in dread.

It was because Job was on God’s main line that he found so many tunnels.

The great thing to remember is that God’s darknesses are not His goals. His tunnels must be traveled to get somewhere else. Therefore, be patient, my soul! The darkness is not thy bourne; the tunnel is not thy abiding home!

The traveler who would pass from the wintry slopes of Switzerland into the summer beauty of the plains of Italy must be prepared to tunnel the Alps.

Often darkness fills the pathway of the pilgrim’s onward track, And we shrink from going forward—trembling, feel like going back: But the Lord, who plans so wisely, leads us on both day and night, Till at last, in silent wonder, we rejoice in Wisdom’s light.

Though the tunnel may be tedious through the narrow, darkened way, Yet it amply serves its purpose—soon it brings the light of day: And the way so greatly dreaded, as we backward take a glance, Shows the skill of careful planning: never the result of chance!

Is your present path a tunnel, does the darkness bring you fear? To the upright, oh, remember, He doth cause a light to cheer. Press on bravely, resting calmly, though a way you dimly see, Till, at length, so safely guided, you emerge triumphantly.

Trust the Engineer Eternal, surely all His works are right, Though we cannot always trace them, faith will turn at last to sight: Then no more the deepening shadows of the dark and dismal way, There forever in clear sunlight, we’ll enjoy “the perfect day.”

The tunnel is never on a siding —it is planned to lead somewhere!

God will make our obstacles serve His purposes. We all have mountains in our lives, and often they are people and things that threaten to block the progress of our spiritual life. The obstacles may be untruths told about us; a difficult occupation; “a thorn in [the] flesh” (2 Corinthians 12:7); or our daily cross. And often we pray for their removal, for we tend to think that if only these were removed, we would live a more tender, pure, and holy life.

“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe . . . !” (Luke 24:25). These are the very conditions we need for achievement, and they have been put in our lives as the means of producing the gifts and qualities for which we have been praying so long. We pray for patience for many years, and when something begins to test us beyond our endurance, we run from it. We try to avoid it, we see it as some insurmountable obstacle to our desired goal, and we believe that if it was removed, we would experience immediate deliverance and victory.

This is not true! We would simply see the temptations to be impatient end. This would not be patience. The only way genuine patience can be acquired is by enduring the very trials that seem so unbearable today.

Turn from your running and submit. Claim by faith to be a partaker in the patience of Jesus and face your trials in Him. There is nothing in your life that distresses or concerns you that cannot become submissive to the highest purpose. Remember, they are God’s mountains. He puts them there for a reason, and we know He will never fail to keep His promise.

“God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for he views the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens” (Job 28:23–24). So when we come to the foot of the mountains, we will find our way. F. B. MEYER

The purpose of our trials is not only to test our worthiness but also to increase it, just as the mighty oak is tested by the storms as well as strengthened by them.