Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Savior and my God!
Psalm 42:11 (NLT)
There was a time in the past that I felt so discouraged. It seemed like every day had a dark cloud and that I couldn't see beyond it. It's hard in those times to keep moving. It's overwhelming to try to be positive, get yourself moving and believe that there will be a day that is better, a day that isn't so filled with worry.
What kept me going and kept me hanging on was God. During those days which turned into weeks, months and yes, a year, each day I would hold on to the promise that God had a plan. I would talk to him and he talked to me. He showed up in so many different ways. He showed up through friends who cared, through Bible verses that I would read that encouraged me, through circumstances that helped our situation and through music.
There is a great song out now by Casting Crowns called Oh My Soul. For some reason I woke up in the middle of the night with this in my head. I wanted to share some of the lyrics because if you are walking through a dark place, this song nails it.
Oh, my soul
Oh, how you worry
Oh, how you're weary, from fearing you lost control
This was the one thing, you didn't see coming
And no one would blame you, though
If you cried in private
If you tried to hide it away, so no one knows
No one will see, if you stop believing
Oh, my soul
You are not alone
There's a place where fear has to face the God you know
One more day, He will make a way
Let Him show you how, you can lay this down
'Cause you're not alone
Here and now
You can be honest
I won't try to promise that someday it all works out
'Cause this is the valley
And even now, He is breathing on your dry bones
And there will be dancing
There will be beauty where beauty was ash and stone
This much I know
This much I know because God is faithful. He walks with us through the valley and he draws near giving us hope and allowing us to breathe. Sometimes life isn't fun. It's OK to hurt and mourn and be lost - for a time. But as you are walking through it, keep looking for God, keep holding on and know that you will praise again.