Today, I would just like to encourage anyone who may be struggling with something. Take a few moments to read and meditate on Psalm 27:

The Lord is my light and my salvation—

whom shall I fear?

The Lord is the stronghold of my life—

of whom shall I be afraid?

When the wicked advance against me

to devour me,

it is my enemies and my foes

who will stumble and fall.

Though an army besiege me,

my heart will not fear;

though war break out against me,

even then I will be confident.

One thing I ask from the Lord,

this only do I seek:

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord

all the days of my life,

to gaze on the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple.

For in the day of trouble

he will keep me safe in his dwelling;

he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent

and set me high upon a rock.

Then my head will be exalted

above the enemies who surround me;

at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy;

I will sing and make music to the Lord.

Hear my voice when I call, Lord;

be merciful to me and answer me.

My heart says of you, “Seek his face!”

Your face, Lord, I will seek.

Do not hide your face from me,

do not turn your servant away in anger;

you have been my helper.

Do not reject me or forsake me,

God my Savior.

Though my father and mother forsake me,

the Lord will receive me.

Teach me your way, Lord;

lead me in a straight path

because of my oppressors.

Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes,

for false witnesses rise up against me,

spouting malicious accusations.

I remain confident of this:

I will see the goodness of the Lord

in the land of the living.

Wait for the Lord;

be strong and take heart

and wait for the Lord.

Some days are just hard.

And sometimes we don’t “feel” like we are full of faith. We don’t “feel” strong and courageous. We don’t “feel” like a mighty warrior or a child of God or a city on a hill.

Thankfully, if we are a follower of Christ, then how we “feel” doesn’t change who we are.

The last couple of weeks have not been easy for me. Twice a year, during major season changes (winter to spring and summer to fall) my hormones run amok and my thyroid medication does not work well. This means that, for 2-3 weeks, most of my symptoms return…to include my depression.

I do what I can, practically, to try to keep myself from staying down in the pit…but sometimes that is not enough to fully combat the darkness.

This is where I choose to wait on the Lord.

Just because we don’t feel something doesn’t mean that it isn’t so. When I am surrounded by darkness, I do not feel loved, delighted in, strong, etc… I actually “feel” the opposite.

But the reality is – I belong to God. My current circumstances have nothing to do with who I am as a (delighted in!) child of the King. Because of what Jesus did for me on the cross, I am not defeated. I am victorious! And I am free. The darkness that I am surrounded by does not change the fact that I am light…because God is light (and I am my Father’s daughter). He never leaves me nor forsakes me. He is my stronghold.

The same applies to YOU.

If you are going through something – keep going! God is right there with you. Even if you don’t currently “feel” like any of God’s promises are true for you, make the choice to – settle in your heart – what God says about you in His Word.

God cannot lie. There is one who lies (Satan) and he likes to take advantage of our weakened state. Do not allow him any room in your head or heart. When he starts with the lies and condemnation, simply lift up a sacrifice of praise to the One in whom you stand…no matter how little strength you “feel” you have.

And know that you can be confident that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (v.13).

*All Scripture is NIV unless otherwise noted.