Life Comes at You Fast

Scripture: "Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why are you disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him. The help of my countenance and my God." Ps 43:5

Observation: The writer of this Psalm was in a hard place. Deceit and injustice were all around him. Things grew to the point that he felt totally abandoned by God. Instead of running away from God or losing faith the palmist stood firm, expressed his feelings to God, and claimed his promises.

Application: There are a series of insurance commercials on TV that re-enact an unexpected accident which is always followed by the tag line, "life comes at you fast." I live by that line. Things happen so quickly. I have often found myself cruising along having a great time when suddenly something happens that totally catches me by surprise. Then things just seem to just pile on. It always seems that things come all at once. Instead of a daily allowance of struggles it is like things build up and then are unleashed at once. One after another things just start to come unraveled and before long I feel like what was once a beautiful tapestry of life has been reduced to a worthless pile of string and yarn. Why does this happen? How is that multiple people in my life can all decide to come down on me at once? Why is it that carefully crafted decisions and plans fall apart all at the same time? How can it be that my dishwasher can break, the engine of my van burn up and my child need a trip to the emergency room in the same week? And those are just the minor things. Deaths happen in bunches. Waves of sin and temptation seem to well up all at once and come crashing down on me. We live in a world that seems to constantly be on the look out for ways to cope with depression and anxiety. It is so easy to look for something outside of God to find relief. There are pills to take, books to read, counselors to seek, and techniques to do. I do not feel that these things in and of themselves are bad. They can actually become quite helpful. But in and of themselves they are totally powerless when it comes to healing my soul. That is an area of healing reserved only for God. Still, it is so hard to keep that in perspective. When depression, anxiety and despair strike I think of the many things that offer relief. The list of temptations is as long as it is promising. But they are all empty. This verse reminds me that it is God who replaces the despair in my soul with the fullness of hope. He takes the disturbance that rages in my heart and replaces it with tranquility and calmness. He even transforms the very expression of my face. From the inside out, God has the power to totally renovate every aspect of my being. He sits and waits on me to call.

Prayer: You are the God of my strength. The lifter of my head. The defender of my life. There is no other place I can go that promises to do so much in my life. Send forth Your truth and Your light to guide me through hard times. Come to me quickly and do not delay when I call out to You; for my soul will fade quickly. Confirm inside of me Your promise to deliver those who seek You as shelter. Cause me to remember Your goodness and accept Your correction when You send it to help me grow. In all these things allow Your comfort to spill from my life and bring comfort to those near me. There is no other God besides You. There is no source of life that can even compare to You.