By David
Miller
I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help
come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let
your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps
Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is
your shade on your right hand… Psalm 121:1-5
We all
struggle with spiritual discouragement and lethargy. Some days our circumstances threaten to
overwhelm us, and we struggle just to pray.
Many times we just don’t feel like doing the things we know we
should. For one reason or another, God
sometimes seems far off and unreachable.
David faced
times like these in his life. The Psalms
are filled with verses that express his despair and feeling of abandonment. Yet
the Psalms also give us the key to living victoriously during the dark periods
of life. Let’s take a quick look at Psalm 119:89-95,
“Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all
generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your
ordinances, For all things
are Your servants.…”
My
circumstances or feelings have not changed God.
He is the same God today as He was when He hung the stars in the sky,
led the Israelites through the Red Sea, and fed the five thousand.
All things,
even the things affecting me right now, God knows and understands. The circumstance, people, and events around
me are all under God. They are subject
to Him and are designed to help and bless me spiritually. Let’s read on…
“If Your law had not been my delight, Then I would have
perished in my affliction. I will never
forget Your precepts, For by them You have revived me. I am Yours, save me; For I have sought Your
precepts. The wicked wait for me to
destroy me; I shall diligently consider Your testimonies.”
Recalling
God’s faithfulness and control over everything that touches us gives us strength
to walk with God even when we feel like giving up in despair. After all, our feelings and circumstances
have not changed God. He is perfectly
capable of sustaining us if we will only let Him. We simply need to choose to delight in and
diligently consider God’s precepts (His principles and character) despite how
we feel. Choosing to delight in God
might not be easy. It might even involve
hard work. But only God can revive and
rescue our soul from spiritual lethargy.
Next time you feel spiritually
drained or inadequate, remember that you have a choice. You can wrap yourself up in excuses and
self-pity, or you can choose to draw your strength from an unchanging God.
Scripture to Claim:
I sought the Lord,
and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:4
