I waited patiently for the Lord to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see what he has done and be amazed. They will put their trust in the Lord. 4 Oh, the joys of those who trust the Lord, who have no confidence in the proud or in those who worship idols. 5 O Lord my God, you have performed many wonders for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. You have no equal. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them. Psalm 40: 1-5 (New Living Translation)




Right now is one of the most painful times in my life. An excruciating tear-filled mass of confusion and uncertainty. Over this time I have experienced more stress than I thought possible. And it is in seasons like this that my faith, all that I believe, comes sharply into focus. Believing in Jesus Christ doesn’t mean I don’t struggle or that somehow my life is always perfect. Being a Christian means that I know I am not alone.



Though at times I may feel stranded on a rock with the roaring seas smacking at my feet, eager to throw me into the perilous depths, actually the reality is quite different, God is that rock and I am safe and secure.



As Psalm 40 states God does indeed act. Sometimes it takes a little time and I need to wait patiently, but all the same He acts. And patience takes trust, to believe that God will act despite the circumstances.



So how do I do this? How do I trust? How am I patient amidst the excruciating pain when all I want is things to be sorted right now?



P.U.S.H = Prayer, Using the Word of God, Sing and Holy Spirt



The first thing is Prayer: lots and lots and lots of prayer. Then pray some more. But not just my prayer, inviting others to pray for me. This is key.



The second is Using the Word of God, it is so easy right now to forget to read and dig deep into the Bible. But right now I need it more than usual.



The third is to Sing the praises of God, of how God is working in my life. So yes, I feel down so the challenge is to praise God all the same.



And finally I recognise the place of the Holy Spirit in that I claim the reality that I am not alone, that God has equipped me with the Holy Spirit, to guide, to encourage and support me each moment of the day.



Praise God for this awesome reading!!



God bless!



Mark Brown



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Yahweh’s Yarn in a Year : 1 year Bible reading plan

The Portion for today is: Psalm 108-110



To access the complete plan for the year click here.



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