“Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me?”  Psalm 43:5a.

Has your heart ever been downcast?  I bet it has.  Mine too, sister.  I relate to the Psalm writer….

Many things can make my heart sad and downcast.  Situations in my own personal life.  The hurts and concerns of those I care about.  The things I see in the world around me.  Health things.  Broken heart things.  Financial things.  Relational things.  Sigh…

Difficult life situations can exhaust and drain us, both emotionally and spiritually.  Some of you are running on empty.  Some are longing for Home.  Some are reeling from personal trials.  Some are scared and confused, wondering what’s next.  Your soul is downcast and disturbed. 

I’m right there with you.

Whether we are wrestling with world events or personal events, our response can be the same.  What do we do when we don’t know what to do?  When life is complicated, it’s best to keep things simple.  Just do the next right thing.  Simply put, we can pray, and we can praise.

Our first line of defense should always be a default to prayer.  Prayer isn’t “the least we can do”.  It is the MOST important place to start!  When we pray, we are acknowledging our inability to change the situations ourselves.  We are crying out to God for His guidance and compassion.  We are humbly asking for His mercy and grace.  We are casting our burdens at His feet because they are too heavy for us to carry alone.  We are desperately seeking peace and answers. 

This week, I was praying earnestly for a dear friend.  This friend has an adult daughter with some significant health issues.  Health issues that need intervention, and answers.  And the answers don’t seem to come easily.  As I prayed and listened for God’s voice in what seemed like answerless spaces of prayer, I heard it clearly.  “When you don’t get the big answers you want right away, look for My hand in the small things while you wait.”

You see, sometimes, big answers take big amounts of time.  But small things?  Those happen every day.  Let’s think for a minute about the small things we can rejoice in.

A job and income-provision.

Healthy and loving relationships-connection.

God’s word at our fingertips in a variety of ways-abundance.

Overall good health-blessed.

Loved by family, friends, and Jesus himself-care.

Assured of eternal life with Him when I have accepted His finished work on the cross-joy.

Those small things can easily be taken for granted.  We’re so used to having them, that we forget that they too are provision from the Lord.  That He is continually caring for and blessing us in these ways.

Our second default should go to praise.  It may seem challenging to praise God when things are difficult.  If I’m honest, sometimes it is difficult for me too.  However, being able to thank God and praise Him for who He is and all He has done, allows my focus to shift from the struggle to the Savior.  In the midst of our trials, we sometimes forget that the end of the story is already written.  We can forget that God wins.  This means that we win too. 

Try praising Him by remembering these scriptures from Psalm 34:

“The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and His ears are attentive to their cry”. Ps. 34:15

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit”. Ps. 34:18

“The righteous may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all”. Ps. 34:19

“The Lord will rescue His servants; no one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned”. Ps. 34:22

When my heart is downcast, and my emotions are wrung out, I can feel like I am losing the battle inside.  I feel like the process of turning my sorrow to joy is too big of a challenge.  God knows this too, and He gracefully places multiple scripture passages in His word for us to remember what is so easily forgotten. 

John 16:33 “I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”

Romans 8:37 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.”  These are powerful scriptures!  He has overcome the world!  We are more than conquerors through Him!

When I read such powerful statements in the bible, they begin to chip away at my downcast and disturbed heart.  When I let the truth of His word seep into the worried recesses of my soul, I find not only comfort, but the strength to carry on.  The hope to wait on Him and trust His plan.  When I look for (and see) the small things provided by His hand while I wait for the big answers that my heart truly seeks, I get a glimpse into the heart of God.  I feel His heart toward mine. 

He desires to bring me peace with His presence.  He is more than able to turn my worries into memories.  He can turn my spiritual weaknesses into victories of faith!

2 Corinthians 12:9. “…My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

When God says, “My grace is sufficient”. He means it.  It’s more than just a nice saying.  It is truth.  His power is made perfect in weakness, our weakness.  God is not surprised by the events in our lives that are seemingly pulling us under.  He stands at the ready, life vest in hand.  Because His grace is sufficient, we are right where we need to be.  Dependent on Him.

“You turn mourning to dancing. 

You give beauty for ashes. 

You turn seas into highways. 

You’re the only One who can!”  (Song-Graves Into Gardens-Elevate Worship)

Lord, somedays it’s so easy to sing your praise and to worship you.  I am thankful for those days.  But other days….other days, not so much.  Lord, forgive me.  You haven’t changed.  You are ALWAYS worthy of praise.  But Lord, my flesh is weak within me.  Sometimes my soul is downcast.  On those days, during those times, hep me to praise you anyway.  Remind me to look for your hand in the small things while I wait for the bigger answers my heart seeks.  Amen.

Purposefully,

Shelli