Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Give me strength, take my burdens

Psalm 55
S: V. 22 “Give your burdens to the Lord, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.”

O: David faced a lot of crap. David probably struggled with depression based on the tone of this psalm. He often had friends and others turn against him – he spent years in hiding for the sake of preserving his life. Not because he did anything wrong, but because he was doing what was right. Even in the middle of all the mess, he still made a point to seek God. In the middle of a psalm of lament, he notes that God still wants his burdens, and still cares for him enough to take care of him.

A: Thankfully, life has slowed down a bit, and things don’t exactly feel overwhelming right now. I certainly don’t have anyone who is after my life. I’ve been trying really hard to refocus and remember that God needs to be at the center. I am trying to pray over my office instead of going home to complain about it. I need to pray for my husband when he feels most frustrated instead of just sitting and watching him struggle. I think my biggest burden right now is my financial situation. I’m tired of feeling like we aren’t making any progress. It’s been a year since Matt last had a job, and I know God has been providing in crazy ways through all of that…but I can’t help but want more. I can’t help but wonder if God will take care of us. So I’m realizing today that I have to make an effort in the middle of my struggle to give it to God. This isn’t my battle to fight, but I need to hand over my desire to make things work out the way I want them to. I know that God has been taking care of us financially all year, and I need to acknowledge that more. I know that he is keeping us from harm, and again, I need to stop and acknowledge that more.


P: God, be our provision. Be the sole source of our finances – don’t let us rely on our own strength to get through the day. God, I’m asking you to move us out of the place we are in. I know that you must have us here for a reason, and I pray that we quickly learn the lessons we need to learn so that we can move on. I’m ready for the next phase of your provision. I’m ready to see all that you can accomplish with us. Don’t let us falter. Don’t let us become discouraged. I pray over Matt that you will guard his heart and his mind from becoming discouraged and losing hope. Be his strength, lord, every day. Draw him near to your heart. Be the source of his strength. I pray that you would lead him into a new job that would be a blessing to him. I know that no matter what job he finds, we will be able to make ends meet because you are our provision. When I become discouraged about bills or healthcare, lift my eyes up to the heavens and remind me where my help comes from. You alone can do things that we feel are impossible. You alone can bring us through this financial valley we have been living in that seems to have no end. God, lift us up to a new place. I give you my burdens today. I give you the anxiety I feel about my family needs. Continue to take care of us like only you can. Don’t let us fall – and don’t let my husband lose sight of what you are capable of doing in his life. 

No comments:

Post a Comment