Are you in a place right now where life doesn’t make sense and you’re ready to give up? You’ve asked God over and over again to save you from this guilt, this pain, this rejection, this health issue, this [fill in the blank] and all that seems to happen is the relentless pounding of the enemy. Sound familiar?

I love this response that John Eldredge offers up during an interview with Christianbook.com.

Christianbook.com: Would you like to offer a word of encouragement to those who are desperately trying to live out this Epic and sometimes find it hard to believe in a happy ending?

John Eldredge: The reason that we doubt the happy ending is found in the story of our own lives. It is rooted in our own disappointments, setbacks and heartbreaks. You have to go there. The answers are not located somewhere out in the future. Rather, our deep fear, hurt, suspicions and doubts are rooted in the stories of our own lives. You can’t neglect those things. That’s where you lost heart. You have to go back and invite Christ to walk with you through those times, periods and places where you lost heart, so that you might experience the restoration we’ve been talking about. In other words, what I’m suggesting is that we take Jesus up on his offer. He says that what he wants to do is heal the brokenhearted. That’s all of us! We are all, in some ways, broken in our hearts and we need to experience that restoration so that we might hope, believe and be released from resignation, depression and cynicism that are rooted in our hearts. Those latter things are rooted in our hearts because of the stories of our lives. The offer is to invite Christ to walk with us there towards healing and restoration.

Reminds me of the scene in the The Return of the King just before Theoden and Rohirrim shows up. “…we need to experience that restoration so that we might hope, believe and be released from resignation, depression and cynicism that are rooted in our hearts.” Hope was hanging on by a thread!

The armies of Mordor relentlessly assaulted Gondor with catapults, through bombardment and flames, but also to fire the heads of slain men from Osgiliath. Not an encouraging set of circumstances.

Right before dawn the armies of Mordor smashes through Gondor’s main gate, and the Witch-king rides into the city unchallenged, save by Gandalf. Before Gandalf’s strength was put to the test, the cock crowed and the horns of Rohan were heard as around 6,000 of their riders joined the battle. Mordor’s strategy for keeping Rohan out of the battle had failed twice, both through the defeat at Helm’s Deep and the blockade in Anorien.

Just before the Rohirrim rides out to meet the enemy in battle, King Theoden shares this with his army.

“Forth! Down fear of darkness! Arise! Arise, Riders of Theoden! Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day… a red day… and the sun rises! Ride now… Ride now… Ride! Ride for ruin and the world’s ending! Death!”ⁱ

Theoden and Rohirrim continue to yell ‘death’ until the horn is blown and they charge onto the Pellenor Fields. King Theoden’s charge cut right through the forces of Mordor from the northern half of the field and changed the tide of the battle!

Ok, so what does this have to do with Eldredge’s narrative?

Listen to how he starts…“The reason that we doubt the happy ending is found in the story of our own lives. It is rooted in our own disappointments, setbacks and heartbreaks. You have to go there.”

Do you think the people in Gondor doubted a happy ending? Do you think they were discouraged by disappointments, setbacks and heartbreaks? Of course they were and so are we!

We have to go there! We have to go into our places of disappointments, setbacks, heartbreaks, woundedness, [fill in the blank] and we can’t do this on our own. We need someone to lead us into battle and that person is Jesus Christ! Just when you think it’s hopeless God will show up and change the tide of the battle.

People…”Spears shall be shaken, shields shall be splintered! A sword day… a red day… and the sun rises! Ride now… Ride now… Ride!”

When Jesus leads you into the battle for your very heart, will you ride with Him?