WHERE DOES YOUR HEART TAKE YOU WHEN YOU ARE DISCOURAGED?

I MUST DIRECT MY THOUGHTS TO THE TRUTH

Psalm 61:1-3

1 Hear my cry, O God,

listen to my prayer;

2 from the end of the earth I call to you

when my heart is faint.

Lead me to the rock

that is higher than I,

3 for you have been my refuge,

a strong tower against the enemy.

David’s heart was faint! He knew that he needed God to come to his rescue. He needed to be heard, and he needed refuge in God’s strength, just as we do when we are struggling.  

There are many times when our hearts grow faint and discouragement lingers, as we do not see the change we are hoping for. We easily feel overwhelmed by situations that are beyond our ability to resolve. We begin to worry over the possible outcomes, and usually, our minds take us to the worst of those. The fact that our heart grows faint is not wrong in itself, but the potential problem is where it takes us!  

Our resolve must be to not rely on ourselves or allow our human thoughts to take over, but to go to a higher place and the perfect refuge.

God said that His thoughts and ways are higher than ours. We must trust His Word and what it says about His sovereign control, His character, His wisdom and His love.

Romans 8:38-39

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Dear friend, this verse does not leave any angle open to doubt. We are protected, we are loved forever, from before the foundation of the world unto all eternity, and yes, that is forever!

As you can notice, David remembers that God has already been his shelter in the past. How quickly we forget the constant protection and care we have received all through our life.

1 Chronicles 29:11-13

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

Difficult times, when our hearts are weak, should drive us to God because we need Him, we know there is no better place to go, and we are thankful for the ways He has sustained us in the past.

Psalm 61:4-5

4 Let me dwell in your tent forever!

Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings! Selah

5 For you, O God, have heard my vows;

you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

Our prayer, like David’s, should be to dwell in the arms of God forever. Our commitment should be sure and resolute.

Psalm 61:6-7

6 Prolong the life of the king;

may his years endure to all generations!

7 May he be enthroned forever before God;

appoint steadfast love and faithfulness to watch over him!

As David prayed for his kingdom to endure forever, we know that it was fulfilling the promise of God for the Messiah, Who will rule eternally. We know Christ and we know that God sovereignly planned all things for the arrival of the Messiah, the One who would provide salvation and become our eternal hope and shelter.

Psalm 61:8

8 So will I ever sing praises to your name,

as I perform my vows day after day.

Our resolve should as David’s: to live a consistent life of praise and devotion. I love the author’s ending, “as I perform my vows day after day”. We cannot, we must not, take a day off! Every day, we must set our mind on Christ, focusing it upon the truth. God is our only hope; He has proved Himself in the past, and our best choice is to trust Him because life is hard and our hearts do grow faint.