Heartsick

"Answer me quickly, Lord; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit. Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." Psalm 143:7-8 (NIV)

What do you do when your spirit is down?

Some people think that people of faith cannot (or should not) ever allow their spirits to be “down.” However, it happens, and it may be difficult to discover the reason. Some possible reasons are: physical sickness, emotional stress, or being too busy.

In parts of Africa, porters sometimes refuse to carry their loads on a safari for too many consecutive days. They explain, “Must wait for my spirit to catch up with my body.” There may be some wisdom in that statement. It is easy to become so busy that your spirit needs some time to “catch up.”

David sounded desperate as he cried out to God, “Hear me speedily, O Lord: my spirit faileth : hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit” (v. 7). Only God knows what David’s situation was, but he obviously felt desperate. You will feel desperate if you feel that God is hiding His face from you.

The cause of these kinds of feelings is not as important as the solution. David knew the solution, but he needed help in applying it, so he asked God to “cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust; cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee” (v.8).

The above verse is an excellent prayer to begin a morning—especially if you think it may be a difficult day. Notice what he requested from God:

• To hear God’s loving-kindness in the morning.
• He affirmed “in thee do I trust.”
• Then he asked for knowledge of how to live that day.

Finally he said,”I lift up my soul unto thee.”

If your spirit is down and you are desperate, give your soul (mind, will, and emotions) to the Lord and rely upon His loving-kindness. (A reading from Bennie Wha)