Sometimes I feel that God is close to me. Other times He feels very far away. I don't know why He allows pain and suffering, but when the clouds gather I try to remind myself of His promise to always be with me. He doesn't promise that I will always feel it, but He does promise that He is there.

When I think about the pain He endured for me on the cross, it helps me take comfort in the truth that He loves me and is faithful, whether I am on the mountaintop or in the valley. He knows what it is like to suffer. As Philip Yancey once wrote, when Jesus came to this earth "he played by the rules, harsh rules". 

If you are walking through a dark valley, may Jesus walk with you and may He give you comfort and peace.