August 9
Psalm 102:4
My heart is smitten, and withered like grass; so that I forget to eat my bread.
Sarah couldn't eat. She couldn't sleep. She hadn't ever meant to hurt anyone, but now there was a little girl in the hospital because of an accident she was responsible for. The guilt that raged within her made it impossible to get on with normal, everyday life. No matter how much she wrestled with herself, there was no peace. She had prayed to God for forgiveness, but even that felt empty. Sarah could remember no time in her life when she had felt so horrible.
There will be times in our lives when we find ourselves unable to function normally because of our emotional upheaval. When we are sensitive to what is right and good, we instinctively rebel at wrong and evil. The Psalms are full of David's own struggles with times when he felt alone and wretched. Those times were necessary for David to grow and mature. He learned to accept guilt and go on, knowing that God's love for him endured and that His forgiveness was without bounds. God loves us just as much. He suffers when we suffer, and He stands with us, even in our darkest hours.
Prayer: Lord, be with me when I am so low that I don't even feel like eating or sleeping. Grant me peace and comfort in Your love, and if that is slow in coming, help me to learn all I can from my despair. Amen.
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