The Ole Sucker Punch!

 Do you ever have days when you feel like life's giving you the old sucker punch? Some days, it feels like it's just blow after blow while you're not looking, not anticipating it, or too busy paying attention to all the tasks at hand. We already have a lot on our plates without the extras being thrown in. But try as we might - those days still come.

Yesterday was one of those days for me. There was just one thing after another - some pretty big (finances), some smaller (my dishwasher broke), and a whole lot in between just for good measure, I guess. Lol. Even though there is an obvious choice to make to just trust God - it doesn't always come that easy. There are emotions to work through. Racing thoughts to settle down and try to make sense of, and that's just the beginning. You'd think we would be exempt, right? But no. Even though there is enough on our plates already, there are still days when it just keeps piling up. The worst part? We can't even stop to process it - we've got to take care of another whole person!

As I finally crawled out from under my warm blankets this morning and grabbed my coffee (after changing Chris and bolusing him his morning lemon water), I took a deep breath and just let my Bible fall open. I had no direction, and I didn't really care. It fell open to Isaiah 53. I had just been there; maybe I wore out a spot. Lol. Jesus carried our grief. For that matter, He carried us on that cross, too! I've got an outline started for a new writing project and it's about grief. My main scripture is from Isaiah 53 - He is acquainted with grief. I gladly picked up my reading where I'd left off.

So many phrases stuck out to me in the three or four chapters I read. God kept reassuring His people that they were still His people and that He was with them. He told them in chapter 54 to broaden their borders because bigger things were coming. He reminded them that He had compassion toward them and that He was their redeemer. He assured them that His covenant of blessing could never be broken. (v.10 NLT) Wait - even when life throws sucker punches one after another? Even when the day goes to pot before our feet even hit the floor? Even if our loved one declines or has a difficult day? There wasn't an "even if" that could erase these statements He made to His people. We're His people, too.

Today, I'll remind myself that I am a God-people, too. I belong to Him, and I've given Him everything, small though it may be. I will shift my focus from the many blows that have come to the Mighty God who is standing by my side. I'll meditate on his covenant of blessing, and I will wait for Him today. After all, He is still my help and the One who sustains my soul. Look at that - I talked myself into trusting Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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31 Days in Psalm 31

• What’s it like to spend 31 days in a cave with God?

•  What was David thinking about during some of his hardest trials?

• Do you ever feel like life is a cave?

31 Days in Psalm 31 is a devotional that spends 31 days in the cave. Explore your thoughts and emotions and learn how you can give them to God over and over again. Trust Him more!