THANKFUL

Thursday, April 28, 2022

Lord, reading the Psalms we see our similarities with the ancient psalmist. Like us, he had his spiritual highs and lows. Like us, he exalted in his mountaintop experiences and wept in his valleys of despondency. All in for You one day but hiding from Your presence the next. Yet the psalmist knew how spiritually healthy it was to be transparent with his feelings and be willing to voice his emotions. This openness wasn’t just for his benefit—it’s for all Christ-followers.

The psalmist was familiar with the blues. When he wrote his famous recipe for praising our way out of the dumps, (Psalm 103), was he recalling the earlier time when turmoil raged within his soul? Like us, this broken world can beat us down. Nonetheless, despite this low point in his life when it appeared all his friends abandoned him, he found the strength to trust You, Lord God. Discouraged? Greatly. Depressed? Oh my, yes. “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me?” he cried. (Been there? I have.) Even though God seemed to be silent, he knew his only option was to, “Put my hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God,” (Psalm 43:5). And he did. As his praises rose, so his spirit rose out of depression. His joy returned.

Lord, in my low points, may I too “praise You, my Savior and my God!” Amen.