Corona Devo 218

The day was going fine:  Working, driving, humming, thinking, visiting, prepping; cleaning, even praying.  I was good.  

But then like storm clouds rolling in, I felt the sadness wash over me.  Maybe for you it is anxiety.  And sometimes it is just a huge sense of feeling overwhelmed.  Whatever it was, the weather in my spirit changed, and I felt closed in, heavy, and sad.  

Have you been there?  

For me, the sadness was out-of-the-blue, and about a loss that I really felt I had gained a healthy grip on.  I don't recall a trigger or memory, just a blanketing sense of sorrow settling over me.  

It can also happen that quickly for me with the week's outlook: I am excited about the schedule, the activities, the connections.  And then out-of-nowhere...WHOOSH!  Like a wave crashing over me, I feel frantic, overwhelmed and pressured: sure that it will never all work-out and angry that I have boxed myself in with so many responsibilities.

Have you been there?

It feels dark, foreboding, and scary.  

...Like an army of sadness, stress, worries and busy-ness is advancing and I am scared and unarmed.  

...Like I am staring up at an unsurmountable wall and I cannot gain a foothold, a grip, or any traction.  

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. ~Psalm 18:28-29

When the storm clouds of life roll in, or the waves of sorrow or stress overtake us, God is near.  God is here.  When our skies darken, when our hearts darken, when our spirit is afraid: You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. (Psalm 18:28).

There is a light in our darkness, and it is Jesus.  He does not leave us to fend-for-ourselves in the dark alleys of loss, questions, daily routine and life roles.  You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness. (Psalm 18:28).  He does not take away the darkness, but He gives us a point-of-light within it: Himself.  He lights a lamp for us to see our way out, and Jesus is the way out.  He will shine light on our next steps toward safety, peace and more light.

As the armies of life (in different uniforms every day), march in pursuit of our joy, peace and sanity, we feel unprotected and vulnerable.  The arrows of anxiety, pain, perfectionism and purposelessness pierce us, injure us, and threaten to maim us.  But God gives us strength.  In your strength I can crush an army (Psalm 18:28).  Not in our own strength.  Have we realized that yet?  In Your strength, Lord, we can crush the armies that advance on us.  And let us gain courage and tenacity from God's promise: we will not merely hold our anxiety/sadness/worry at bay, or fend it off for a moment.  No, God promises that with His strength we can crush an army.  Crush.  Stop-the-advancement over our hearts.  Cease the marching over our minds.  

The daily armies may advance, but In your strength I can crush an army. (Psalm 18:29).

And when we feel crumpled in a heap at life's feet, or when the lies of insecurity and worthlessness cripple us, God infuses strength into our weary bodies and gives us the strength to climb out.  With my God I can scale any wall (Psalm 18:29).  We all have walls: sickness, separation, sorrow, pain, panic, isolation, hurt, and more.  These walls can surround us and cut us off from others and the world.  They can contain us and muzzle us.  But these walls do not define us, and With my God I can scale any wall (Psalm 18:29).  

Today is the day to begin scaling our wall and crushing the enemy armies in Christ's strength.  Although darkness can seem to cover us without warning sometimes, God is never blotted out. 

You light a lamp for me. The Lord, my God, lights up my darkness.
29 In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. ~Psalm 18:28-29

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Corona Devo 1156

Image
At work, we provide Trainings for customers, so that they can be updated and educated on all of the latest features (and how to use them) within our product.  Many companies do this--sharing "Best Practices" are a way to ensure positive outcomes on the customer and vendor sides of things. My kids often offer me "life hacks" that they have learned from watching an online video promising to "save time" and "make your life easier".  And just this week, my husband enlightened me about the "tear-away" feature built into most plastic rings holding cans/bottles of pop or Gatorade together.  When separated, the plastic rips open easily, releasing the bottle--saving wildlife that might be caught if it is discarded as trash, and saving me  frustration or angst because I no longer have to pull with all my might to get a bottle out of the plastic rings.  ( Who knew? )  Life hacks do save time and make your life easier! Who couldn't benefit from...
Read more

Corona Devo 1217

Image
The unanswered “why’s” of life, the disorder of our days, and even the unfairness of our struggles can cause us to question ourselves and also to question our God. But the order-of-Creation and the systems that God has set in place are undeniable answers that swing back and forth like God’s pendulum-reminder that He set the world in motion, and He continues to keep order, even when it seems as if we and our world are in dis- order.   Job was a man going through some heavy and hard stuff.   Maybe we are too.   Job’s trials had caused him to question the order of life, and possibly God’s dominion over it.   We can relate.   The “Why’s?” and the “Why Me’s” can stack up in our minds and hearts, but like a parent exercising loving-authority over a child, God reminds Job and us--of His power, omniscience and of His ultimate authority over everything: Creation… and us today .   Then the  Lord  answered Job from the whirlwind: (2) “Who i...
Read more

Corona Devo 991

Running low on " good things " today?  Doesn't it (sometimes) seem like/trend like/read like/tweet like/water-cooler-chat or backyard-fence-visit like/intimidate like/depress like... there are no  good things in the land? . I know. It's no secret that many have abandoned  the Law of the  Lord,  and at times, that's us .   It is evident all around us that people have  followed each other  in this sin.  When we look around...or when we live our days...we can wonder: Are there  any  good things  left in the land? There are still some good things in the land ...and no matter how bleak we feel the "forecast" for today is...there will always  be  some good things in the land, because God is in the land.   T he Bible reminds us of that today.   ~~~ The Israelites (and their king, Rehoboam ) were God's people, but like all of us at times/seasons of our lives...they wandered from Lord and His ways....
Read more