Psalm 31: 21 “Praise the Lord, for He has shown me the wonders of His unfailing love. He kept me safe when my city was under attack.”
It was an attack like no other. The darkness I was in just kept surrounding me. I felt no relief from this deep pain I found myself in. I felt I had been forgotten. I prayed for relief but there was none to be found. In Psalm 13, David writes, “How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul; with sorrow in my heart every day?” He almost sounds like he is yelling at God when he says these words, “Turn and answer me, O Lord my God!” Instead of turning away from God, he does just the opposite. He comes boldly to the One who can restore the sparkle to his eyes.
You would think this was the darkness I was in was after the loss of my daughter Katie. The funny thing about this is, it was 20 years after my daughter’s death. Even in my time of grief I felt the Lord’s presence. I knew He was there walking beside me. I trusted in His love for me. Can I explain my dark days twenty years later? I have no explanation. Everything seemed right in my world, yet here I was in some of my darkest days. Depression is real. Depression is scary. Depression is lonely. Getting out of depression takes faith that God is still beside you. It also takes hard work. It requires being truthful to yourself, to others, and to God. We all will walk through dark times. There is no shame in that. Don’t give up! Seek help! Be bold like David and He will point you in the right direction. When I look back at that time, I still don’t understand how I found myself in such a dark time. There is no explanation except we live in a fallen world. What I do know is that there is help. There is a way through those dark times. The Lord kept me safe when I was under attack. He loves me. If He can love me, then I know He loves you too.
Lord, You are our strength. You are strong when we are weak. You light a lamp for us in our darkness.
– Michele
