Have you ever felt so parched and weary that you could literally feel the life draining out of your body and soul? Overwhelmed with the black defeat of sorrow, grief, misery, anguish, despair, hopelessness, despondency, or depression, you simply wanted to crawl under some rock and die.
The Psalmist felt this way. His soul was so troubled that he begged the Lord to revitalize him, to revive him, to bring him back to life (Psalm 143:11). He lifted up his soul to God and pleaded for a revival (Psalm 119:149).
Being dead in trespasses and sin, we were quickened and brought back to life by the Spirit of God at the instant of our heart-felt repentance (Colossians 2:13). We passed from everlasting damnation to eternal life (1 John 2:25; John 3:16-18). God’s Spirit sanctifies us all our days on this earth.
If we continue to live according to the dictates of our fleshly, carnal, human desires, our body and soul will die a little more each day; but if we take up our cross daily and crucify the sinful cravings of our flesh, the Lord will quicken us, and we shall endure (Romans 8:11-13).
The Word of God is living, powerful and extremely sharp. It is able to divide the carnal desires of our soul from the divine aspirations of our spirit (Hebrews 4:12-13). As we refresh our spirit in His Word, we come to know God, as well as Jesus whom He sent (John 17:3).
Rather than dying under a rock, we hide in the cleft of the Rock of Christ, our source of living water (Psalm 78:15). We see the joy in everything, and we never thirst again (James 1:2-8; 1 Corinthians 10:4; John 4:14). We count our blessings rather than ruminate over our sorrows.
Regardless of our circumstances, we are saved from the troubling world in which we live. We abide in inexpressible joy, which if full of the glory of God (1 Peter 1:7-9). We experience the magnitude of His love, and we are filled to the brim with His eternal presence (Ephesians 6:19).
Prayer:
Father God, teach us the secret to a happy life: one of our focus on You and on Your blessings, rather than on the depressing circumstances we are facing (John 16:33). Remind us to thank You even in the bad times. Through our faith, which is strengthened by Your constant provision in every area of our life, we experience far less devastation from our trials.
Revive us by Your Spirit in our spirit, soul, and body and enable us to strengthen others with the same comfort You give to us (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). When we mourn, You lift us to safety (Job 5:11). We do not fear, because You hold us in Your right hand (Isaiah 41:10). Oh God of hope, fill us with Your joy and optimism, through the power of Your Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).
Thought for the Day:
If we attempt to meet our own needs, God stands back and gives us space. However, if we come to Him in our yearning for healing in our soul, He satisfies our longing and fills our hungry soul with goodness (1 Samuel 2:3-5; Psalm 107:9). While we wait on the Lord, He strengthens our heart as we place our hope in Him alone (Psalm 27:13-14).
