The Best Option

 I love how open, raw, and vulnerable the Psalms are. David, who wrote most of them, and the other psalmists didn't hold back their feelings or emotions. When I saw that it was okay to tell God exactly how I felt about what I was going through it not only gave me freedom but it leveled me up when it came to trusting God. He wasn't going to throw me away or fry me down to my toenails because I was honest about how I felt about my situation. Thank you, King David, for leading the way! Lol.

This morning, I found myself in Psalm 22. That will be where I camp for the day! We find David feeling forsaken and forgotten by God. He expresses these feelings in the first couple of verses. He continues throughout the verses expressing his feelings and hurts. But here's what stood out to me. 

Even though David was in a tough spot, he continued to choose to praise God. In verse 3, after he just poured out his heart, David says, yet, You are holy. He goes back to his discourse on life's troubles for a few verses, then in verse 9, David says, Yet, You brought me safely from my mother's womb and led me to trust You when I was young. He goes back and forth this way throughout the psalm and in verse 22 he begins to praise God.

The rest of the way down through the psalm David expresses praise for God and acknowledges all He has done. I realized - that was a choice. David's circumstances didn't change between verses, yet he chose praise. David shifted his focus to the One who saves, the One who heals, the One who rescues, the One who snatches His sheep from the mouth of the enemy - David was no longer focused on his surroundings, dire though they may have been. Instead, David chose to focus on God and to praise Him for all He had done, even if he couldn't see God doing something in the moment.

We can do that too. We may not see a thing in our world change when we start praising God - but we can feel the shift in our hearts. 

Today, I'll start by thanking God for all He's done. Each time I think of a day of caregiving that He's brought me through (hospital stays, financial difficulties, etc.), I'll thank Him again. Then, I'll remind myself that He has not changed one bit since the last time He rescued my soul! I can trust Him to rescue me from my enemies again today. I'm going to say a prayer of thanksgiving for His continual watch-care over my soul and for His ever-abiding presence. I love that He sees deeply into my heart and chooses not to look away. I will trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

____________________________________________________

Check it out!

31 Days in Psalm 31. I found myself returning to that Psalm over and over. It brought so much encouragement and I found so many scriptures that were meditation-worthy, I decided it was a good topic. David wrote this psalm while in a cave hiding from Saul. Since much of my caregiving life feels like it's lived in a cave (we talk about the caregiver's cave a lot!), it seemed appropriate. You can get a Kindle or print version in my Amazon bookstore. Or you can download an eBook from my DFM bookstore.