What Sustain Us
I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy about your righteousness.
The Lord is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his creation. Psalm 145:5-9
When difficulties arise, what becomes your main focus—the problem, its impact on you, or its effect on others? When trouble occurred in David’s life, he meditated on the Lord’s sufficiency and His good and perfect will. That focus is evident not only in Psalm 145 but in others as well: throughout his life, David poured out his troubles to the Lord and also continually turned his attention back to God. The result was strength and hope for his soul.
Because David had a trusting relationship with God, he dealt with trials by anticipating divine help. For example, his impending fight with Goliath brought to mind God’s past and present delivering power (“The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!” ) In facing King Saul’s murderous threats and pursuit, David relied on the Lord’s protection as his refuge and fortress (The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.) And when grieving over the loss of loved ones, he let God’s promises, presence and comfort fill his heart and mind (When David and his men saw the ruins and realized what had happened to their families, they wept until they could weep no more.. But David found strength in the Lord his God.)
As was the case with David, our circumstances can also serve as valuable prompts for focusing on the Lord. God has given us His Word, a wonderful resource where His character, works, and purposes are clearly displayed. In the middle of hardship, we can find hope by thinking about the Lord's nature—and draw the strength and hope to sustain us.
Father God may all of life’s circumstances and hardships cause us to focus on You, to think deeply about Your promises revealed in Your Word, and lean into Your love. Amen.