You’ve probably been there, or may be you’re there right now:
circumstances have unraveled, and life has left you feeling confused.
Maybe you were headed in one direction, when all of a sudden, something changed to shift you in another direction—or leave you without any sense of direction at all.
If you are in such a place today, please know that you are not alone.
There is One who knows exactly what you are going through and who is not at all surprised by your circumstances.
A couple weeks ago, after I experienced the loss of my book-publishing contract, a friend said to me, “There is only up from here!”
Often we don’t understand why things happen the way they do, but there is always something we can learn from each and every situation.
In Psalm 121:1–2, we’re encouraged not only that there is an up to our disappointing and difficult circumstances but that we are also to look up! “I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (NIV).
Our reception of divine help comes with the comprehension of our need. We can’t seek help if we don’t feel that we need it, and we can’t expect help if we don’t seek it.
The psalmist knew of his need, and he also knew who to look to for the fulfillment of that need. Though he was at the bottom of his circumstances, he kept looking up—and he looked up with eager expectation! He knew that the One who had allowed his circumstances to unravel could also redeem those circumstances and bring good out of all his situations.
Maybe you feel like you are at the bottom of your circumstances today.
Maybe you’re wondering how you will ever get to that next step that seems so far away.
Maybe you’re struggling to make sense of your life and feeling discouraged by all that you continue to encounter.
Please, friend, look up—look up to the One who is your help and your hope!
O, Lord, be my Light in the darkness.
Be my Vision in the night.
Be my Strength in my weakness.
Be my Protection through the fight.
Be my Anchor through the storm, when the winds fiercely blow.
Be my Help, be my Hope, when I don’t know which way to go.
You are my Rock, my Redeemer, my forever Friend.
You are my Shield, my Deliverer, my Restorer, my Defense.
Thank You, O God, that all my days are in Your hand.
I can trust You for each moment—the beginning to the end.
Nothing comes into my life that You have not ordained.
You are sovereign over all my circumstances.
You are aware of all my pain.
In You I can have peace,
a place to rest,
a haven for my soul,
even through life’s hardest tests.
When life doesn’t make sense and fear knocks at my heart’s door,
Help me, O God, to hold onto hope and know that You are sure.
As I depend on You, please help me to stand
firmly-footed,
non-wavering,
knowing that my life is in Your hands.
From my heart to yours,
Sonya Grace