I went looking for a song I used to sing—Thou O Lord—because I’ve been feeling down on myself. I came across this one: Lifter by Housefires and thought I would share it instead. Feeling down is a place no one wants to stay in. God started showing me scriptures of encouragement. Will you go on this journey with me?

But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.

Psalm‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭ESV‬‬

David was under a real threat, with enemies coming against him. He knew to turn to God to find answers and rescue, providing us examples to follow when our mind or our circumstances feel like enemies rising against us.

Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!

Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God!

Psalms‬ ‭43‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT

David wasn’t reserved in showing us his vulnerability. He was open about his faith in God and his need for God. When we are sad and discouraged David directs us to God’s presence and the source of our joy.

Give all your worries to him, because he cares for you.

1 Peter‬ ‭5‬:‭7‬ ‭ERV

God is not ignorant of our worries, but he doesn’t want us holding on to them, either. He wants us to bring them to him.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest… Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭NLT

Okay, I took this part out “Take my yoke upon you.” Not because it is irrelevant but because it can be distracting. When we feel down and heavy, Jesus calls us to himself. He is the one who will lift us up. He will bring rest to our stressed state of mind.

All these scriptures point us away from ourselves and back to God. Not once did he say, “You shouldn’t feel that way.” My takeaway from this, the part I want to hold onto, is this—He is the source of all my joy.

I pray you will let him be your source of joy, too.

Grace & Peace,

Sandy

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