Trouble: When You Can't See the Morning

I cried out to God for help; I cried out to God to hear me. When I was in distress, I sought the Lord. – Psalm 77:1-2

Have you noticed how, when you are in heaviness, you are always tempted to think about yourself?.. Against this is… Psalms “I will turn my thoughts from myself to the Father who loves me and does not stop loving me.” – Amy Carmichael

Psalm 77 repeatedly uses the words “I remembered” or “I thought about.” Though the psalmist couldn’t see the way ahead, he could remember and think about what he knew. That saw him through.

Amy Carmichael, remembered for her dangerous work in India saving young girls from cult prostitution, knew firsthand times of material need, physical danger, disappointment, pain and debilitating illness. Yet from that crucible she found safety in God. She could say that our feelings do not affect God’s facts.

Feelings come and go like clouds, but the hills and stars abide.

Elisabeth Elliot, whose husband, Jim, was one of five missionaries martyred by the Aucas in Ecuador, wrote movingly about those days and remembered something her husband wrote: “Discouragement is a satanic tool that seems to fit my disposition very well.”

It is wise to remember when facing hard things that Satan is alive and well on planet Earth, and discouragement is a powerful weapon in his arsenal.

I remember when my small son opened the door one foggy morning and came running to me, crying, “Mama, Mama, you can’t see the morning!” And that’s how it is sometimes – you can’t see the morning or the day ahead. Events surrounding you have obscured the way, yet God remains faithful, and we can anchor our thoughts and our will in the facts. God is – He always has been and always will be. He remains steadfast and sure. ~ Helen K. Hosier

Father, help me to remember to seek You, to think of You when the way seems foggy.

Excerpted with permission from Fulfilled – The NIV Devotional Bible for Single Women by Zondervan, copyright Zondervan, 2014.

* * *

Your Turn

Are you in discouraged? In trouble? Are your feelings keeping you from taking the next step ahead, from doing what you know you are to be doing? Come join the conversation on our blog! We would love to hear from you about one of the enemy’s favorite tools – discouragement – and remembering to seek God when you can’t see the morning. ~ Devotionals Daily