Resting in God's Great Love

Day 133: Psalm 143-150

Psalm 143:7-8 says,
"Come quickly, Lord, and answer me, for my depression deepens.
   Don’t turn away from me, or I will die.
 Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you.
   Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you."

These verses stand out to me because of the word "depression." This person is struggling and expresses to the Lord his need for God to come near to him. He is going to die if the Lord turns away from him. He is hopeful, however, that God will take care of him and so he continues to give himself to the Lord, trusting the Lord that he will show him the love he needs to survive.

Those two verses express so much of what I've been feeling since I was first diagnosed with depression. It's a crazy illness, and sometimes I think I'm over it and then the feelings emerge again. It's also a very personal and private matter. It's embarrassing and you want to just "feel better," but you can't. It's really weird, but through it all, I have trusted in God to show me the way. I am giving myself to him and trusting him that he is in control. He loves us and wants to show us his love.

And Psalm 145:8-9 describes God's love:
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.

Merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love. Those words describe our God.

I love the way the Book of Psalms ends:
"Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!" (v. 6)

This is a fitting way to describe a book that emphasizes praising God. So, as I am about to leave Psalms and move on to Proverbs, I am reminded about the goodness of God and how he is deserving of praise from all of creation.