“My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.”
– Psalm 42:6b

The Apostle Paul commands believers to “take captive every thought”. However, we struggle to do so. It’s difficult and we often deny the very possibility of doing so. Thankfully, David illustrates how to do so throughout the Psalms. From his writings, it’s clear that David struggled with overwhelming dark thoughts we might label depression. It’s certainly understandable, given the many terrible things that happened to him throughout his life, especially early on. However, David wasn’t content to stay in the dark places where his mind went.

When David’s soul was “cast down” – he was deep in despair – he consciously chose to think about other, better things as Paul later commanded in Philippians 4:8. David said that when he was deep in the valley of sorrow, suffering, and self-pity, overwhelmed by darkness, “therefore” he chose to remember God. He intentionally began thinking about God’s greatness and His great works across the history and land of Israel. From the waters of the Jordan in the east (which God parted to bring the people into the Promised Land) to the snow-capped peak of Mount Hermon in the north to the many “little hills” throughout the land (the meaning of Mizar).

God is everywhere and always active. IF we choose to look and see. IF we choose to remember and celebrate. That’s what David shows us how to do when his thoughts turned dark and he looked deep within himself. He took his thoughts captive, turning them outward and upward. He remembered what is true of God. His many attributes. His many activities. His perfect faithfulness and love. His presence.

May we all learn to do what David did. To take our thoughts captive when they threaten to derail our life and service. To turn our thoughts outward and upward when we’re overly focused downward and inward. To praise God, even in the darkest valleys of life. #FollowJesus

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

This is what Jesus offers every parched soul far from its Creator and source of life. Living water. Eternal life. Union with Christ through the indwelling Holy Spirit of God. In our natural state, our souls are separated from God’s holy presence by sin. And yet, we were made to enjoy fellowship with Him. That’s why nothing the world offers can provide lasting satisfaction. Sure, there can be moments of relief and periods of happiness, but then…. We long, once again, for something real, and true, and lasting. That which we were made for but have never tasted – fellowship with God.

That is the gift of grace Jesus offers through Himself. When you embrace Jesus, the Son of God, as your Lord and Savior, He will meet the deepest longing of your soul. When you entrust yourself to Him, turning away from the sins of your natural self in repentance, you are raised to new, eternal spiritual life in Christ. You are united with Him. His Spirit seals and lives in you. As an adopted child of God the Father, your new identity in Christ is firmly in Him. The desperate, lifelong hunger and thirst of your soul ends at last.

Jesus Christ is the bread of heaven and gives the living water of the Holy Spirit. Of course, you’ll still have physical needs after you unite yourself with Him. but your restless soul can finally enjoy enduring peace and nourishment in Him. Eternal life, fellowship with God – the very things you were created for – are yours in Christ and will be forever more. #FollowJesus

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
from him comes my salvation.
He alone is my rock and my salvation,
my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”
– Psalm 62:1-2

This world in which we live is constantly shaking and quaking. God cannot be shaken. If you build your life and identity on the things of this world, you will eventually find yourself shaken by the world. If you build your life and identity on God, you will not be greatly shaken, even as everything around you shakes violently.

Where do you seek your peace? Where do you seek your salvation? Is it in accomplishments? Degrees? Milestones? Victories? Markets? Plans? Preparations? People? Or is it in God alone?

Only God is unshaken and unshakeable. Center your life on Him. Make Him your rock and refuge. Make Him your fortress. Build on the rock-solid, unchanging foundation of the Lord. The world will still shake all around you. But your soul will be secure in Him. You will know peace, even amidst chaos. #FollowJesus

“But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast.” – 2 Samuel 14:14b

God’s heart and desire for every person is reconciliation and restoration. He made us for fellowship with Him and with one another. He never wants the outcast to remain outcast or those separated from Him to remain separated. Though sin separates us from the our Holy Creator, our perfect Father in Heaven doesn’t want that to be anyone’s final situation. His love, mercy, and grace are so vast that He even sent His own Son, Jesus, into the world to reconcile us to Him. The eternal Son of God, Who is God come in the flesh, gave His life over to death on a cross so that no person made in God’s image (and that’s every person) would have to remain separated for eternity. And this glorious restoration and reconciliation is entirely a gift of grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ.

God is not, first and foremost, a God of wrath, judgment, or condemnation. He is certainly a just judge Who will condemn those who are in sin, that isn’t His heart. His heart is to see sinners reconciled and restored through grace. To see the outcast welcomed home. To adopt rebels as His children. For those who’ve received that grace and been welcomed into the family of God through Jesus Christ, this must be our heart as well. We must not find satisfaction in someone’s life as an outcast, either from God or from other people. We must pray and make every effort to bring about reconciliation and restoration for those willing to embrace it.

For Christians, this is our ministry because God has reconciled us to Himself. So, is your heart for the outcast? Do you make efforts to see those far from God, or far from people, brought close in love and grace? What’s holding you back from sharing in the heart of God? #FollowJesus

“For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,”
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Selah”
– Psalm 32:4-5

In this psalm, David illustrates how the Lord disciplines His precious children. For those who’ve trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is no more condemnation from God. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t fall (or cannonball) into sin. We absolutely can (and do)!

When we do, God doesn’t toss us in the trash or tell us to start over. However, He won’t pat us on the head and leave us in our sins, either. He will discipline us as His beloved sons and daughters. It will be uncomfortable and possibly even painful, depending on how hard it is to get our attention. We will feel the weighty conviction of the Holy Spirit on our souls. We will also experience whatever setbacks, failures, dissatisfactions, disappointments, and defeats are needed to eventually cause us to search our souls and recognize the error of our ways.

And when we do? There’s always forgiveness waiting! God is quick to forgive His precious children when we confess our sins to Him, repenting of our wrongdoing. His forgiveness is instantaneous and complete. In that moment, the Spirit’s heavy conviction lifts off our souls and quite often, the circumstances, situations, and experiences God used to get us back on track begin to resolve themselves as well. The Lord disciplines those He loves. #FollowJesus