uphold me with your righteous right hand

Verse:

Psalm 61:3 says “From the ends of the earth I cry out to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge.”

Isaiah 41:10 says “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.“

Devo:

This weekend one of my coworkers lost her young son in a tragic accident. While discussing it with another coworker (also a family therapist) I said something like “it’s the accidents and illnesses that come out of nowhere that are the scariest, because you can’t do anything about them.” She looked me in the eyes and said “You can’t go there.”

And she’s right. How many nights do we lay awake, worrying about our officers? How many mornings do we wake up to tragic news of another shooting, another murder, another fatal call response? It’s not realistic to just “not worry”. And we’re all going to have days where our fear is more prominent, urgent, and bigger than others.

But you know what’s always bigger? Our God.

Isaiah 41:10 brings comfort to me. “I will strengthen you,” it says, “I will uphold you”. God doesn’t tell us that we must be strong all the time. He doesn’t tell us that we have to stand on our own. He tells us to lean on Him and trust in Him when we are fearful and overwhelmed.

Because the truth is, our world is a broken place. Awful things happen-to good people. But what good does it do to dwell on those things? What good does it do to collapse into our worries, to let those fears get the best of us? Lean into the Lord when you’re feeling overwhelmed, friend, and let Him uphold you.

Prayer:

Lord, I cry out to you worried but faithful. My heart has fears but you God are bigger than those fears. I ask for Your hand of comfort in those times where I am overwhelmed. Overwhelm me with Your peace, Lord. Overwhelm me with Your love. Overwhelm me with Your hope.