Have you ever felt alone? I mean, truly alone?
I suspect most of us could answer “Yes” to that question. Some more often than others due to life’s circumstances, but still alone. I will borrow a phrase from others when that happens: “a dark night of the soul.”
Been there, done that. Life presses in. Despair is at the doorstep. Every breath (physically and spiritually) seems hard to come by. It makes you feel like you are suffocating. Physically, you are wrung out, wondering if there is another step left in your legs. Emotionally, you are drained, wiped out. You feel like you have truly reached the end of your rope. And spiritually? You feel hung out to dry. God seems a million miles away. You feel a coldness, a draft, in your soul.
I think David knew that feeling. In Psalm 56:1 he says, “O God, have mercy on me, for people are hounding me. My foes attack me all day long.” Verse 2 is more of the same thoughts, but then verses 3-4 show a reversal: “But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what He has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?” But that’s not all! Verse 8 tells us that “God keeps track of all our sorrows, and He has collected all our tears in a bottle.” The final coup de grace is a phrase in verse 9: “This I know: God is on my side!”
God is for me. God is on my side. Even when life seems to be splintering and getting hacked to pieces, I am not alone. You are not alone. Don’t give in to despair and defeat. God is in every detail. Even when you way looks dark…
…RUN TO THE LIGHT!
{All Scripture is from the NLT}
Running toward God’s light as fast as I can, today and every day. Blessings, Bill!
Only way to do it Martha! Have fun with your family
We can all answer yes to feeling overwhelmed at times. Thankfully, God truly is on our side and helps us put one foot in front of the other till suddenly there is light in sight!
Agreed Pam. I’m glad that light is not the light of an oncoming train. 🙂 God’s light is so much stronger.
I have always loved how David can start a psalm so down and out, but a few verses later he calls on a loving Father who he knows will never abandoned him. David always ends his psalm with no matter how desperate he was at the start, praising God. Learning to praise God no matter what, knowing truly that God is the answer and all we really need, is a blessing I want to embrace in my life as well.
It’s true Gail how David shows his humanness and then turns it around and speaks about God’s goodness and strength. I, too, want to embrace that in my life.