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Monday... This is what I really appreciate.


Monday... This is what I really appreciate. This is what I really appreciate about the Psalms. This is why I read a Psalm everyday.

This is how Psalm 13 starts. It says in verse 1 (NLT) what you may be feeling today. This is how David, the writer of this Psalm starts. He says, "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever?" This is David talking to God and I'm sure some of us are feeling this way but afraid to say it. Is this what you are feeling as you start this new day, this new work week?

I really do appreciate the honesty of the Psalms. They seem to start where each of us are and they seem to allow us to feel what we feel but they don't stop there.

Normal was something that we thought we were going to eventually have. But we're not sure what that means normal now means, do we? "O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?" But that is not the last verse in this Psalm. That is where we start but we don't need to stop there though many people who don't have faith will end there. 

Now if you have read the story of King David you understand why he starts here and if we could see your story today we would also understand what you may be feeling but David didn't stop there.

He goes on. Verse 2 says, "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?" Those are honest questions and they sometimes need to be asked. 

He continues, verses 3 & 4 say, "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."

It is so easy for us to just whine and stop there. No, David continues and he ask God to do something and David was specific. 

And then David brings power to his request. He says in verses 5 & 6, "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." I trust you God even in what is happening to me. I know you love me with unfailing love and everything that is happening to me must go through your unfailing love. So I am going to sing, I'm going to rejoice because I know that you have been good to me in the past and I know that you are good to me now and that you will be good to me in the future.

I appreciate the Psalms because they show me how to change my perspective in what I am going through.

Again, "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." Now that is the way to begin a new day, a new week.Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

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