FROM SCARS TO STRENGTH
By Carolyn Dale Newell
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in you do I trust?
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.
Psalm 143:8 NKJV
If King David was alive today, he may be diagnosed with clinical depression. We can safely agree that he had more than his share of heartache. His child with Bathsheba died a few days after birth. One son raped his sister. Another rebelled against David and he was finally killed. David spent time many nights in caves hiding from King Saul. David’s brothers mocked him, and his father never once considered that David could possibly be king. This man after God’s own heart was not spared from deep emotional distress, and neither are we.
Can you relate to David’s cry in verse 7? “My spirit fails!”? His spirit was overwhelmed and his
heart distressed (Ps. 143:4).
You may struggle with depression or other health issues. Your bank account may be broke. Your child has strayed. Your loved ones have passed. You are caring for aging parents and their health needs. It can be a myriad of circumstances, but the result is brokenness.
This shattered life greets you each morning with a reminder that this nightmare is a reality. The pain you hide eludes peace and joy. The enemy succeeds as you doubt God. Doubt your salvation. Doubt your spirituality.
May I suggest that David’s heartache made him a mighty warrior and a great king? His scars became his strengths. Jesus Christ bears the scars in His hands, from the nails that pierced Him. He puts our crumbling lives back together. Your scars from today will be your strengths for tomorrow. Trust God, as David did. Never allow the enemy, whether human or spirit, to cause you to feel shame over your turmoil. One day, it will be a memory and you will be a more powerful Christian because of it.
Heavenly Father, Hear our cries, soothe our broken hearts, and mend us as You comfort our overwhelmed souls. Thank You though we may fall apart, You continue to put us back together better than ever. Amen.
DIG DEEPER
Read Psalm 143.
HIKING THE TRAIL
It is in our weakest moments when God is glorified. Never consider yourself any less spiritual in those seasons. God is glorified through it.
Copyright 2016 Carolyn Dale Newell.
Originally posted on July 23, 2020 @ 7:43 pm