“If the Lord had not been my help, my soul would have lived in the land of silence. When I thought, ‘My foot slips,’ your steadfast love, O Lord, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.” Psalm 94:17-19 ESV
This Psalm was written by David. The commentaries I read really do not give a lot of extra information on when David would have written this particular Psalm. But what we do know about David is that he had to learn to rely pretty heavily on God. He had some good days and he had some very hard days. David was anointed to be the next King of Israel at a very young age. He then went to battle, was befriended by Saul and especially Saul’s son Jonathan. He had great success on the battlefield but as the people began to think highly of David Saul allowed the big ole green eyed jealousy monster to get into him and he began to pursue David to kill him. David had to leave the home he once knew, the palace because at one time Saul had invited him to come live in the palace. Saul had started out enjoying David’s presence. David played beautiful music and he was a warrior for God. But then as Saul’s jealousy grew David had to leave and was on the run from Saul for approximately 7 years. So I said all of that to say that David did not have an easy life even after having been anointed to be King for quite a while. This gives a lot of credence to David when he says “my foot slips” and the language “If the Lord had not been my help”. David had learned how to depend on God even when things were not going his way. He had many cares yet he had learned to allow the consolations of God cheer him up.
I find that the closer I remain in fellowship with the Lord that I don’t tend to stay down in a pit of despair for very long. Oh I will still find myself going into the pit and there are days I will even wallow just a little bit. But I do find that if I drag my cares to Him. Daily. Yes even the ones that hurt my heart but I am not able to change the circumstances at the time, that He will give me consolations to “cheer my soul”. Sometimes that is in His word and sometimes it is the way He uses others in my life.
Thank you for the prayers, the Lord is faithful and many people have been faithful to be instruments of peace and cheer to me. Let’s all try to be these instruments of peace and cheer today.
Restore 