Fear, Dread, Desperation and Joy

Reading Psalm 116 with my children this morning, I was struck again by the depth of David's anguish, and struck even more by the depth of God's intervention. David was acutely aware of his desperate need for help, for a rescue from despair, for "the ear" of God to be inclined toward him. In the midst of David's pain, God showed up. And just as passionately as he had poured out his fear and dread, David poured out his gratifude when God indeed heard his cry and comforted him. Here in the start-up phase of my new business, after 18 years of a steady paycheck, with a healthcare challenge facing my wife and the global economy teetering, I have become more aware than ever of my desperate need for the Lord's presence, power and peace. In my most fearful moments, I find myself crying out and seeking God's face in ways that I haven't sought Him for many years. I hope you're in a similar place of desperation, because -- as David experienced -- it's usually at our place of greatest uncertainty that God's certainty becomes real to us as we grow toward maturity in Christ.

A prayer for today: Heavenly Father, thank you that we are not alone, that You have not forsaken us, that we can trust You for provision. We give you thanks for saving us and await the miraculous ways that You will "show up" big in our circumstances this week. In the name and power of Jesus Christ, Amen.