Persevere: Comfort and Hope for Dark Days

By Laura Key

Dark days. 

Nothing but clouds, rain, wind, and snow. 

For those walking through a season of winter,

it's easy to forget…

 

Above the dark clouds, 

The sun is still shining. 

 

Persevere is a collection of seven accounts of people who faced impossible, painful situations. These men and women were abandoned, unloved, betrayed, provoked, weary, overlooked, and oppressed.

 

But God.

 

He broke through the clouds of their darkest days with His love, compassion, and grace.

The same God that comforted and strengthened them is willing to do the same for you.

 

As you read and meditate on the stories of those who have gone before, may you be filled with comfort and hope to persevere through your own dark days.

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: KeyWords Publishing
• Release date: Jan 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781393950462

Laura Key

Laura Key successfully transitioned from homeschooling to the University of Northern Iowa. Her college years were delightful, difficult, and incredibly formative. She studied English and TESOL/Spanish, graduating with honors in 2011. Laura has taught in both the U.S. and Peru, where she lived for several years. Now she’s back in Iowa and married to her favorite Bahamian, Joshua Key. Laura loves the great outdoors and “urban farming” on her tiny apartment balcony. Her favorite Saturday morning includes Joshua, hot coffee, Bible, pens, notebook, and sunshine. The Keys are grateful to fellowship and serve alongside believers at Lake Country Bible Chapel in central Iowa.

Book preview

Persevere

Comfort and Hope for Dark Days

Laura Key

Copyright © 2021 Laura Key

All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org

KeyWords Publishing

Cover Art by Jackson Adams

Contents

Persevere

Dark Days

Note to the Reader

Abandoned

Consider Him who was Abandoned

Unloved

Consider Him who was Unloved

Betrayed

Consider Him who was Betrayed

Provoked

Consider Him who was Provoked

Weary

Consider Him who was Weary

Overlooked

Consider Him who was Overlooked

Oppressed

Consider Him who was Oppressed

It’s Not Over Yet

Dig Deeper

About the Author

Also by Laura Key

Endnotes

Dark Days

It always happens.

Warm summer days cool down into autumn.

The sun gets tired and goes down sooner each day.

The leaves turn colors and blow off the trees.

Sure, you bask in a few brilliant fall days,

but you know that winter is just around the corner.

Soon enough you realize

the trees are bare,

the wind is sharp,

the sky is overcast.

Overcast is winter’s trademarked brand.

Sunny days seem like anomalies — strangers to the northern hemisphere.

A gray, puffy blanket drapes over our heads,

wooing us to curl up and sleep.

But even the cloudy sky is short-lived.

After eight hours, the gray day deepens into night.

A long, dark night.

This is where we can find ourselves.

Some seasons in life are unbearable.

They push us to the limit.

Difficult, trying days.

Wake up to an overcast sky,

wait all day for the sun to break through,

but it doesn’t.

Night slides in

and suddenly it’s over.

You realize that another day is gone,

and tomorrow will be just the same.

A heaviness settles on your chest.

You can’t breathe.

Your heart has been constricted so long

it’s shriveling.

Anxiety, bitterness, betrayal, loss.

Perhaps you’ve been abandoned or provoked.

Maybe you feel overlooked or unloved.

You’re weighed down.

You’re weary.

Unwanted feelings rush over you again and again like the bitter wind.

You are walking through dark days. 

But God.

Did you forget about Him?

He is there.

Just like the sun that shines above the clouds,

God is continually present,

even if you can’t see Him.

His constant watch-care isn’t obstructed

by the gray blanket that envelops you.

He sees you.

He knows you.

He longs to help you