My Inbox of Daily Inspirations: Daily Heartlight -- January 20, 2008

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January 20, 2008

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=========================== TODAY'S ARTICLE ==========================

I Trust in Your Unfailing Love, by Tom Norvell

Do these words from David ring true for you today?

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you
look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my
heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

Turn and answer me, O Lord my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes,
or I will die.

Don't let my enemies gloat, saying, 'We have defeated him!'

Don't let them rejoice at my downfall.

(Psalm 13:1-4 NLT)

Are you feeling forgotten by God? Do you find yourself wondering where
He is while you are in the midst of battle and struggle and hurt and
disappointment? Are you wishing God would do something to help, but not
sure your prayers are getting through?

That's apparently what David was feeling. Alone. Forgotten. Ignored.
Weak. Almost defeated. Constantly hassled by his enemies.

Those are not uncommon feelings, even for the strong of faith.
Sometimes life is like that. We experience attacks from all sides, and
it seems that trouble and distress is around every corner. During those
days of anxiety and sorrow, it is easy to fall into the trap of
believing that it will always be this way. We settle into the mindset
that life will never get any better. When these times continue for long
periods there is the potential to lose hope.

Those are dangerous times. Those are times when we must consider our
steps very carefully and wisely. Nothing would please our enemy more
than for us to lose hope, to give up, to accept defeat, and to lose the
joy found in the Lord. Like David, you may be almost there. If so, do
what David did.

That's the power of our faith!

In verse 4, David is dreading how his enemies will gloat and rejoice
over his defeat. Then, suddenly, as the psalmist often does in the
Psalms, the tone changes. He looks above his fears and throws himself
into the arms of the Lord.

But I trust in your unfailing love.

I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

(Psalm 13:5-6)

We must do the same. When we sink low into the despair and hopelessness
of what seems certain defeat, we must look up to the Lord and say:

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have
rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

That's the power of our faith. That's a test of our faith. That's what
can happen when we draw near to God. If we bring it all to Him and
leave it there, through His grace and mercy He will enable us to sing
again. He will rescue us.

Here's another version of David's prayer:

Lord, my life is hard right now. Nothing is turning out like I
thought it would. Instead of victory, I'm experiencing defeat on
every side. It seems like the Enemy is winning all the battles. I
feel like a loser and I feel like my enemies see me as a loser. I'm
not sure how long I can go on like this. Sometimes, when it gets
really bad, I become afraid. I feel like You have left me here all
alone. But, I know that's not true, because I trust You. I know You
will never leave me. And I believe that one day I will again sing
and rejoice because You are good to me. I trust in Your unfailing
love.

---------
(c) 2008 Tom Norvell <tomnorvell@mac.com>. Used by permission. A
Norvell Note <http://www.anorvellnote.com> is a weekly email
message from Tom Norvell. Check it out!

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Daily Heartlight -- January 20, 2008