Last night, as I was praying with friends, I had a strong sense that there are many people who have been walking through a Season of Despair. This is not surprising. 2020. Need I say more?
If you’ve been experiencing despair, I want you to know this season is not the end. You have a hope and a future. Allow the one who is Love to carry you into a new season.
I pray that this meditation will bless your spirit and help you to step into the arms of Comfort. He is waiting for you.
Praise be to the Lord
for he has heard my cry for mercy.”— Psalm 28:6
Don’t give in to the lie that your cries during this Season of Despair haven’t been heard. He hears the cries of his children. He joins us in our sorrows. He has been with you all along. You have never been alone. He is loving and merciful, and he is willing to carry your burden. Ask the One who loves you to reveal how he has been with you along the journey.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.”— Psalm 28:7
God doesn’t require you to be strong in the struggle. He is your strength. He is your protector. He is trustworthy. Let go! Fall into your Father’s arms. As you learn to trust his goodness, let him pour his loving comfort into you, turning your mourning into joy! Psalm 30:11 says, “You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.” As your Season of Despair comes to an end, let your sackcloth fall to the ground. It served a purpose for a time, but with the new season comes a change of clothes. What is He clothing you with today?
The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.”
— Psalm 28:8
Beloved, let me say it again…He is your strength. The safest place to rest is within his walls, that is, within his heart. You belong to him, and he is your true home. He is a Father who will always welcome you with open arms. You don’t need to sort your life out or clean yourself up for him to let you in the door. He’s prepared a place for you. Do you believe that? Open your hands and ask him to show you the blessings he has prepared for you in this season.
Save your people and bless your inheritance; be their shepherd and carry them forever.”
— Psalm 28:9
David’s prayer in verse 9 is answered in the person of Jesus. He is both our savior and our shepherd. We have been redeemed by Jesus and brought back into the home of his Father, who is our Father as well. We are his inheritance! You and I are valuable to him — so valuable that he sent his son, at great cost, to bring us home. He is the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. (2 Cor. 1:3)
Take a deep breath. Exhale. Allow yourself to rest and receive the love and comfort he has for you. As you leave your Season of Despair behind, spend a few moments in the words of Jesus from Luke 15:
Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home.”
Let the Good Shepherd carry you home.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Shay Mason
Featured Image by Ryan ‘O’ Niel on Unsplash
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