Over the years, Psalm 37 has been a favorite of
mine. It's packed full of so many verses that bring such encouragement to my heart. Psalm 37:23-24 are particularly ones in which I find so much comfort:
"The steps of a good man are ordered by
the LORD,
And He delights in his way.
Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand."
I love the promise that God upholds me. To be honest, sometimes it feels as though I'm "utterly cast down", and yet I take comfort knowing that even when I do fall, Jesus will pick me up; He'll raise me up again. It might feel as though I'm utterly cast down, but in Jesus there is always hope. I can rest knowing He will be faithful to uphold me.
This verse reminds me of a day back when I was in Africa. It was a beautiful day, and Danyal and I went to visit one of the families in the village. We made the climb up the steep hillside to the house, and the view from up top was spectacular. It was such a beautiful day in the country I love, and I remember being very blessed by our visit.
One of the things I love about the Ugandans is how giving and hospitable they are. Even if they might not have much to give, even if they have already worked a long and tiring day, they are so happy and ready to receive their guests with a smile. Danyal and I sat and talked with Naturinda, and his wife soon came and served us a hearty meal. We visited for some time, and then Naturinda took us on a little walk to see where his family gets their water. It was near to their house, and again, I loved being in the beauty of God's creation.
Since Naturinda and his wife had to go work at their store that evening, they walked with Danyal and me back down the hill.
As I started down the hill, I began to comment about how someone could easily slip, when I started to slip myself! Naturinda quickly grabbed my arm and steadied me, and then he continued to hold onto my arm as we walked down the hill. He let go at one point, but as soon as we reached where he knew I would again lose my footing, he grabbed my arm and held onto me.
On that beautiful day in Uganda, I was reminded of Psalm 37:24:
"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly
cast down;
For the LORD upholds him with His hand."
The promise in that verse suddenly had new meaning to me. I thought about how just as Naturinda held onto my arm to help me down the hill, so too my Heavenly Father holds onto me and helps me through the difficult places in life. Naturinda had been down that hill many times before, and thus he knew the places that would cause me difficulty. He was there beside me to help me over those rough places. I couldn't help but think about how my Heavenly Father goes before me, and how He too has already walked the path ahead of me. He knows the difficult places of life, the places in which I'm prone to struggle, and He is holding onto me all along the way, helping me over the bumpy spots. When I stumble, He is always there to lift me up again, and through every season of life He will remain faithful to uphold me.
I'm so thankful for this truth. Lately, I have felt weary and "burnt out". I know God is working on me through this time, but it's been rather hard. I've had a lot of days of discouragement and feeling down, but I'm thankful for the Lord's faithfulness, even on the hard days. Even on the days I feel down, I can take heart because of God's promises. Though I might feel cast down, my God promises to uphold me. He won't ever fail. I take comfort knowing that God's Word is filled with promises to the weary, the broken, and the weak. Times like these are when I learn to lean upon God's grace and strength, and feeling the sorrow of life makes my heart look toward heaven and eternity. There might be days when the weight of life knocks me down, but my Heavenly Father will raise me up again. He will walk down the hill with me, and He can use this time to draw me closer to Himself.
"Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you.
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."
~Isaiah 41:10
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