Your Focus in the Depths of Despair

Psalm 130:1

From the depths of despair, O Lord,
    I call for your help.

They call it drama. It is when things on the movie screen get a little heated between two people who are in love, or between a parent and child, or even between co-workers. The definition of drama is: an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events or set of circumstances. This life deals out drama like IHOP deals out pancakes on Sunday mornings. You cannot go very far or long until “an exciting, emotional, or unexpected series of events” meets you face to face. It is in these times when our character is laid bare for everyone to see.

It is difficult to say what we will do when we are at the depths of despair in our circumstances. Some break down, some get mad, while others just stay paralyzed. I have often said that you want to see how someone acts when they lose, or when things go wrong, because it is in those circumstances we get a glimpse into how they tick when the chips are down.

Here, the Psalmist tells us that when he is in the depths of despair, he cries out to the Lord. It might be easy to get close to the Lord when everything is going fine, but try to focus in on Jesus when life deals you ugly. Matthew 5:45 Jesus tells us, “In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven, for he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.” Jesus is reminding us that the circumstances may need to happen, and evil or good may be part of the plan. We are to focus on the Lord in those times, keeping our anger in check, and checking our emotions to see that they are held in check also. Jesus reminds us that, as Christians, we will bear fruit in due season. Our job is to trust in the Lord, who holds the future (Jeremiah 29:11).

Today, if you find yourself in the depths, take a few moments to pray to the Lord. “Lord, please keep me patient and kind, full of mercy and grace, while upholding Your truth in this difficult time, in Jesus’ name, amen.” When your perspective is on the Lord, you might just see your depths become shallow enough to walk through without trouble. Have a great day, and may the Lord be at the front of everything in your life.

Prayer: Far too often we let the life we are going through become too deep for our faith, Lord. I pray that our faith in You becomes deep and wide, as they say. I pray we run to You when life becomes not so great. I pray that our focus on You remains, even when all we see around us may darken our countenance. In Jesus’ name, amen.