Psalm 27:6-9

“Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” vs. 9

People of faith find it hard to remain steadfast through tough times. Even the psalmist’s fine words turned accusatory when the light of the Lord seemed to dim. When there was no response to his prayers for help he immediately assumed that the Lord was angry and had forsaken him. We can’t really blame him; it’s hard to stay upbeat and positive about our spiritual connections when pleas for intervention and help go unheeded. And of course our first reaction is to assume that we’ve done something wrong, and if we actually have done some shameful act, we’ll have little doubt that we’ve fallen out of grace. The truth is that our sin is no surprise to God. All of us are sinners all the time and if God really abandoned people who sin, there’d never be a sign of God anywhere. So if we’re feeling alone in our journey, guess who has wandered away? The key to a restored relationship continues to be prayer. As we keep on praying the connection is restored, and even if things don’t suddenly turn our way, we begin to notice the signs of God’s presence. There’s a little more light and a little more love and a lot more forgiveness and grace. And the joy of life returns.

Thought for the Day: Why is it hard to pray when we’re depressed?