Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,
    it is you who watch over my way.

The attribution of this Psalm says it was written when David was “in the cave,” that is, fleeing from Saul. That was indeed a very rough period in David’s life, but God allowed it to teach him to trust Him completely. Here David is honest enough to say that emotionally, he is about ready to give up. However, he remembers that God hasn’t forgotten him, and He knows both where David is at the moment and where David should go. That’s true for us, too, and it should be as great a comfort to us as it was to David. When we are self-centered, all we can see are the problems around us and our own inability to solve them. When we lift our eyes to see the Lord, we recognize that our problems are mighty small compared to Him. The difficulty comes in believing that He really cares, and He isn’t mean. One of the devil’s favorite lies is that God is a bully. Any time that thought enters our head we need to recognize where it comes from, and reject it immediately. God’s loving plan for us probably includes some mountains to get over and some jungles to get through, but in doing that, in following God’s path for us, we grow and are strengthened in ways that would never happen otherwise. I keep coming back to the fact that Jesus expressly said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Those troubles aren’t accidents, any more than Jesus’ cross was an accident, but considering the outcome of Jesus’ cross, we can anticipate what blessings will come from our own troubles. (2 Corinthians 4:17) God knows our way, and in His plan, it is ultimately a very good way indeed.

This is a lesson I have been preaching for quite a few years, but I feel like I am finally learning it. What a relief! Releasing everything to God, however good or bad it feels in the moment, removes a huge amount of stress. I know what it’s like for my spirit to fail within me, and it’s no fun. I don’t know what God has for me around the corner, but I know the final destination is absolutely fabulous. When Jesus could endure the cross for the joy that was set before him, (Hebrews 12:2) I can endure anything I might encounter because of what lies ahead for me.

Father, thank You for this reminder. We’ve just lost people close to us, and there are more we could lose any day. I’m not to be morbid about any of it, but remember our mortality and rejoice in it, because the next life is far better than this one. Thank You for how blessed You have made this one for me! May I be a channel of Your grace and comfort to those around me, so that they too may rejoice in You regardless of their circumstances. Thank You. Hallelujah!