Henry Kissinger once commented wryly, "There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full." The troubles of life don't respect our plans. It happened for me unexpectedly one Monday afternoon during a time when the church I pastored needed me most. It was a perfect convergence of busyness, discouragement and exhaustion and all at once I was hurling through a darkness I had never known before. Only a few days later, my doctor diagnosed me with depression.

The psychiatrist and the therapist agreed - my life was parched. What I needed was a heavy dose of rest, walking, and reconnecting with God. The prescription they offered was this: "remember the good old days when you were doing the things that gave you life. Spend 3-4 hours every morning doing these things first in the day." It was exactly what I needed and over time God refreshed my soul and my life was again alive with hope.

King David was no stranger to this; in fact, he often reached the breaking point of despair. The books of Samuel and Kings give us a glimpse of moments of desolation while the Psalms contain a litany of worship to refresh his parched soul. David was always rehearsing God's faithfulness and reconnecting with his renewing presence. My doctor recommend doing things that "gave me life" each morning. This week, spend some time refreshing your soul by reminding yourself of God's faithfulness.

Father, I don't know what this day will bring to me. There may be joy or pain, success or failure. If I pass through sadness and disappointment today, let them teach me that I can count on your faithfulness. I stretch out my hands to you, as thirsty for you as a desert is for rain. Thank you that Your refreshment for my life is always within reach. Amen.

Throughout this Day: Take the first minutes of every day to rehearse God’s faithfulness and reconnect with His presence. Also, sometime this week take five minutes to listen to Brian Doerksen's song, "Faithful Father" and reflect on the lyrics:

Certain as the rivers reach the sea
Certain as the sunrise in the east
I can rest in your faithfulness
Surer than a mother's tender love
Surer than the stars still shine above
I can rest in your faithfulness



Tags: Daily Devotional psalm-143
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