Sunny Days AheadSample

After God’s Own Heart

Listen, friend. Before we talk more about tools for your toolbox, choices you control, or looking on the bright side, I want to make sure you understand something really, really important: just because you may struggle with some of these things, that does not necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with you or your faith.

We can confidently believe that truth because we have the psalms of David. David wrote the words in Psalm 69, and he wrote many other psalms like it—where he was overwhelmed, downtrodden, searching for God’s hand, or praying for intervention. And the Bible says David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). Wrestling with something does not disqualify us from being a person of faith. It doesn’t mean we need to “believe harder” to be accepted by God.

People have been struggling with the issues in our world for millennia. And throughout that time, God has always been there, right beside his people, helping them hold on to their faith in stormy times. This psalm ends on a hopeful, worshipful note. Our struggles can too.

Reflection:

Read all of Psalm 69, noting how David works through his emotions—acknowledging his own sin, pointing out the unfair things happening to him, asking for God’s protection, praising God, and looking forward to a hopeful future. See if you can write a journal entry following this model, working through any big, David-sized feelings.