Pilgrim's Chapter 12: Castle Despair

The Pilgrim's Progress Weekly Devotional: Castle Despair. On the road to the Celestial City, Christian looks ahead and sees that an easier way...

Forward this Email to a Friend Castle Despair Email 12 in a 16 part series on the 16 Worlds of The Pilgrim's Progress On the road to the Celestial City with his new companion, Christian looks ahead and sees that an easier way appears to run parallel to the straight path. In an attempt to avoid the difficulty of the rocks and crags before him, he suggests the easier route. "But what if it leads us out of the way?" Hopeful inquired. "How can it? It runs parallel!" What Christian and Hopeful couldn't see, however, was that the path split further down than they could see. Christian is so easily led off the right path. How frequently do we make this same kind of choice? The pilgrims thought that the detour was only for a short distance—just enough time to avoid difficulty. They assumed that they could come back to the path quickly, but it is so easy to lose sight of the King's road once we step off, even for a second. Instead of enduring hardship and remaining faithful, Hopeful and Christian forsake the path that the King has called them to travel. The Scriptures remind us to "share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus." (2 Tim. 2:3) As those who follow Jesus, we are called to endure even when difficulty awaits us. Soon, the pilgrims lost sight of the path entirely, and began discussing turning back. Just then, the skies grew dark, opened up, and began to rain. Having lost sight of the King's path, there was no clear way forward for Christian and Hopeful. It is so easy to get caught up in storms when we lose sight of God's direction in our lives. Christian and Hopeful sought shelter, and found a strange cave in the middle of the grassy field. But this was no cave—it was the Giant Despair's boot!  Upon waking the next morning, the two pilgrims found themselves staring down the nose of a hideous giant. With a swift, strong motion, the towering man lifted the boot and carried Hopeful and Christian back to his castle: the Castle Despair.  Suspended from the ceiling in a cage, Christian laments, "This is all my fault!" Frustrated that he took the easy path and ended up in this mess, Christian admits to Hopeful how sorry he feels. Then, lumbering down the stairs, the Giant Despair confronts the pilgrims. "What? You're still alive? I gave you everything you needed to do the job!" He yelled, "Why didn't you do yourselves in?" The giant, in a fit of frustration, falls to the ground with a thud. His wife, Diffidence, appears and is enraged that he has fainted again. She growled at the pilgrims, picked up her unconscious husband, and left the room. Turning to Hopeful, Christian asked, "Why didn't she just kill us? Get it over with?" This is when Hopeful realizes that the terrible giants cannot kill them. They can only make the situation so horrible for them that they would choose to do it themselves. It is interesting to note that when John Bunyan wrote this story, he was in prison. He knew the feeling of being confined to a cage, and could have easily lost hope. He was well acquainted with horrible circumstances—circumstances that may have led him to contemplate ending his own life like Christian and Hopeful in the story. He was separated from his wife and children, and locked up for preaching the Gospel.  We may not be in a literal cage like John Bunyan was, but the idea of being locked in a cage of despair can also be felt by those who walk free. When confronted with horrible situations, we can respond with anger and resentment toward God, forcing ourselves deeper and deeper into despair. Or, we can choose to see a way out. When confronted with horrible situations, we can respond with anger and resentment toward God, forcing ourselves deeper and deeper into despair. Or, we can choose to see a way out.  Christian remembers the man locked in a cage, the man he was shown earlier in his journey with the Interpreter. "No hope!" The old man yelled. "Nooo hope!" The lesson finally made sense. Christian realizes the old man in the cage was him!  Applying the lesson from the interpreter, Christian asks, "What is the opposite of despair?" Hopeful's eyes lit up, "Hope!" Then, a shining key appears on Christian's breastplate. Hope was the key to their cage, and they had it all along!  Many people appear to be free, but are held captive in the cage of despair. Bunyan, though captive in his body, was completely free with his hope in Christ. Freedom from despair relies on hope, and we have hope by the grace of God.  Freedom from despair relies on hope, and we have hope by the grace of God.  Depression is a sad reality, even amongst children. And, in our current situation of isolation due to COVID-19, depression can be seen even more readily. When we feel deep, disorienting sadness, we need to be able to reach out to others. We need to find hope. Children can also be messengers of Gospel hope to those who are trapped in despair. We need to teach them how to remind themselves of the enduring hope given to us in the Bible. We can do this by teaching our families to be watchful, and encouraging to anyone who may be trapped in a cage of sadness. A small connection, or a small encouragement can help free others from despair.  A small connection, or a small encouragement can help free others from despair. Ultimately, our hope comes from Christ. We are never left alone to despair forever. He has promised us life eternal with Him, and even when we suffer, we can trust that He will provide what we need to endure.  "Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God." —Ps. 43:5 [ESV] WATCH THE PILGRILM'S PROGRESS ONLINE FOR FREE Help Produce The 16 Worlds of The Pilgrim's Progress and Reserve Your Free Copy! The 16 Worlds of The Pilgrim's Progress: The Journey Begins is a devotional book which contains 16 lessons and a video collection that guides individuals through Christian's journey from this world to that which is to come. It will feature The Pilgrim's Progress movie, broken into 16 powerful segments. These segments are designed to disciple the next generation to stay on the straight path. Each of the 16 chapters will also will feature all new, exclusive video content with special guests, and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Pilgrim's Progress movie. Help Produce the 16 Worlds of The Pilgrim's Progress Devotional Copyright © 2020 RevelationMedia, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. 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