Have You Ever Had One of Those Days?

It was a bad day.
I mean, a really bad day.

My friend, David…the one in the Bible who wrote the Psalms…was having a day that makes me feel anxious just reading about it.

Here’s how he described it in his 69th Psalm:
…the waters have come up to my neck…
…I sink in the miry depths where there is no foothold…
…the floods engulf me…
…I am worn out calling for help…
…My eyes fail…

And then.
The biggie.

…Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head.

You’ve got to be kidding me!
I break out in a sweat and feel nauseous if I think one person doesn’t like me. (It’s something I’m working on. You too?)
In David’s situation, those people didn’t even have a reason to hate him!

(And by the way, unless David was bald, I think that’s a whole lot of people who weren’t joining him in the harp choir or attending his poetry readings.)

And yet…
(Don’t you just love the word “yet?” It brings such hope!)

And yet…
David knew that God was faithful.
He knew that God was going to get him out of that horrible place.

And he asked God to meet him just where he was.

…Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink;
…Deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.
…Do not let the floodwaters engulf me or the depths swallow me up or the pit close its mouth over me.

…Answer me, O Lord, out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me.

And then…
Get this…
I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Wow.

If the number of people who hated me equaled the number of hairs on my head, it would take me awhile to get to the praise part of my prayer.

I think I’d spend a lot of time fretting, wringing my hands, and whining about how unfair life is and how those people who hate me are just stupid. And wrong.
You know. The kind of explanations we had in junior high when all our insecurities seemed to come alive at the same time, right along with an acne breakout and a bad hair day.

But, boy.
Don’t you just love David?
He was having such a bad day.
And yet {smile}…
He chose to focus on The One who could bring his heart to a different place.

You know, there are some things that David did, and that God asks us to do, that are just plain hard.
You may be in a season right now that feels out of control. Getting out of your mire seems impossible. And the flood of disappointment and discouragement is deeper than you can handle.

Your fear is understandable. Your worry? We’ve all been there.
Praising God seems counterproductive, right?

But here’s what I want you to hear from God’s Word and my heart …
YOU are loved. So very much. None of your mess can separate you from God’s love right now.
Your life hasn’t lost its worth. You still matter.
YOU are still precious. Beautiful. Cared for. LOVED.

And God has promised to show up. We don’t know how or when, but even when the mud is deep and the waters are high, He is right there with you.

Your bad day won’t last forever.
Ask God to meet you in it.

P.S. There are things you can do to move out of your messy place:
Read Psalm 23. And then read it again.
The Lord is my shepherd.
I have everything that I need.
Pour your heart out to God. Tell Him all about your bad day.
Read Psalm 136. Remember how big God is. Remember that His love endures forever. (That includes your bad day.)