“In my distress I prayed to the LORD, and the LORD answered me and set me free” – Psalms 118:5 (NIV)

Through this pandemic many have experienced tragedies, which have left many weary. It is difficult to find anything cheery in the midst of sorrow but according to 1 Thessalonians 5:18, believers are urged to be “thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Like when we look at the life of David we see one who had much reason to despair. A lot happened in his life. He went from being a shepherd to God’s anointed king. David would experience the dimensions of joy at killing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:51); to crushing grief from enduring a sleuth of tragedies: the loss of a best friend Jonathan in battle (1 Sam 31:2); the loss of a son (2 Samuel 12:19); the loss of a kingdom to a rebellious son, Absalom (2 Sam 15: 1-20), and much more.

For all these tragedies somehow David never lost his praise to God. When he had hit the bottom, he wrote, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer” (2 Samuel 22:2). When he was down he looked up to God for deliverance: “In my distress I called to the Lord; I called out to my God … He drew me out of deep waters. He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me” (2 Samuel 22:7).

Times such as these let us be inspired by David and not lose our faith; but continue to look to God for deliverance.

Prayer for today: Lord Father God of Abraham, maker of heaven and earth, in times as these, we look up to you, for you are our deliverer