We've all been there - a chapter in our story when it all seems to be falling apart, when hurt is the most frequent feeling or when devastating news hits us like a ton of bricks. I can think of many situations in life when my appetite was lost and sleep wouldn't come - a mind full of racing thoughts, possible outcomes and reoccurring events playing over in my mind meant rest was a distant friend. But then, sleep did come, and so did morning and another realization of reality...maybe even a more harsh one than the day before.
It's one of the reasons I love the, possibly overlooked, portion of Psalm 139:18 that says "and when I wake, I am still with you".
A new day doesn't always mean a new beginning. A new day could mean the settling in of harsh life events, another realization of loneliness, another waking to the same disappoinments and yet another day to drudge through with little hope left. Yet, in all of those places, in every waking and every new day that dawns - I am still with you.
What a reassuring statement, and what a reoccurring theme of this book. The reminder of His constant presence is throughout the book of Psalms. In David's expression of gratitude, he pens over and over the present tense of His presence and God's pursuit of him - of us.
Psalm 23:6 "surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life..."
Psalm 28:7 "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and He helps me"
Psalm 120:1 "I call on the Lord in my distress, and He answers me"
Psalm 147:3 "He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds"
and again
Psalm 139:18 "...and when I wake up, I am still with you"
This particular statement almost seems out of place, an afterthought stuck in because it needed to be said, somewhere. Maybe here - it needs to be said. Today, He is still with you. Tomorrow, when life gets more difficult - He is still with you. In every defeat, and every triumph - He is with you. When you're heart is broken - He is with you. When questions are more present than answers - He is with you. In everything, in every day, with every new morning when you wake - He is STILL with you.
So, whether you find yourself in rain clouds or sunshine...whether your current situation is full of hope or in a darkened place searching for any proof of it - remember, He is STILL with you. In that, in Him, is all you will ever need.
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