And Yet Do I Have Hope

God's Word is always timely.  Unlike white after labor day, it is never out of season.  After an enlightening night at Bible Study, I come home to have a personal talk with Jesus.  I am directed to a verse that expressed how a part of me was feeling.

Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me.

( Psalm 143:4, NASB)

Another put it this way, ' I am losing all hope; I am paralyzed with fear. (NLT)

Now I am sure that there are some of you reading this that are saying, I have never felt this way.  I trust that God will take care of any and every situation.  If this is in fact the case and your faith has never been shaken then I say, "Hats off to you." I also say, "Just keep living."  Today I have stopped by to tell you that there are times when my physical being says, "I am on the verge of giving up.  God you are taking too long.  I have people that depend on me and I just don't understand your methods right now or the reason behind them." Or maybe you're saying, "Lord, why did you have to take my loved one.  I don't want to go on."  There can be a lot of reasons for wanting to give up.  You start to feel overwhelmed with life and you just don't know what to do. You feel alone, mistreated, and confused. Even though you had been going through, you always had hope and then things took a turn for the worse. 

But let me tell you how God works.  After reading this verse I begin to hum, 'When my heart is overwhelmed, my prayer is lead me to the Rock.  Lead me to the Rock, that's higher than I, O Lord.  Higher than I'.  I hummed it a couple of times and then I begin to sing out loud because you know there is something about knowing that there is no situation too big for God to handle and that you can go to Him anytime of the day or night  that has a way of lifting your spirits.  It helps you to put everything in perspective.  You see, David the writer of this Psalm was feeling  perplexed and overturned, lonely and afflicted.  He suffered both in spirit and in heart from the undeserved and unprovoked hostility of his persecutors. BUT (thank God for the conjunctions of life) he had a relationship with God.  Even in the midst of all his suffering his personal relationship with God and their history is what brought him through.  If you read on in this Psalm you hear David saying, 'I remember the days of old. I ponder all your great works and think about what you have done. I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain. Interlude  (Psalm 143:5-6, NLT)  David had come to know that God was faithful.  He had a proven track record and even though everything that was going on caused these feelings to stir from within, He still trusted God. He had hope.  You know how I know that he had hope, he begin to prayer, turning to the One who he knew could handle what he was feeling.  He wouldn't be judged and classified as a weak believer.  He knew where he help would come from. 

And that is what I believe this Christian life is all about.  You get to the point in your life where you know that you know that you know that your life is ten times better with God on your side.  In fact you can't imagine your life without Him.  There is a calming peace in knowing that the situation today may be totally different tomorrow because God is at work.  You might not be able to see how God is working it out in your marriage, in your finances, in your relationship, in your family, in your heart but you know that He is. And no one can sway you from this thought.  Some may call you crazy and that's alright.  They called Jesus plenty of names but  in the end who reigned victorious...JESUS!  It's a mighty good thing to know Him.  Just think even Jesus, who had to take off royalty and become like you and I, felt alone.  Remember when He cried out , "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?"  Yet, He completed His task.  He finished His course.  And so can you.  It's alright to feel a little down sometime.  You're human.  Just don't stay there.  Reflect on what God has done for you in the past and get up out of that pity party.  Instead praise God that He has sustained you through this time.  Praise Him for His faithfulness and thank Him for what He is doing in your life. 

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

(This is a prayer you must pray.  Ask God to give You the words and then walk in your victory. In Jesus' Precious Name I pray Amen.)