Underwood Unplugged

"The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.
So my spirit grows faint within me;
my heart within me is dismayed."
(Psalm 143:3-4)


Tell it to God. Tell Him everything you feel, even the frustration, the fear, the anger. I have heard it said many times, "God can handle it." Just be yourself.

Here is a psalm of David where we see that he's worn out, attacked, and "like those long dead."

It's been a while since I've felt like that, but I have been there. I do remember times when I felt a total loss of hope, questioned God's involvement, and felt crushed like this.

We have to commend and even imitate David's gut-level honesty. But true, dependent, and even "successful" faith requires much more than just being honest with God.

It requires that I turn to God, trust God, and call on God.

David does all of these things in this Psalm. God really loves to hear prayers like this. From the often-quoted 2 Chronicles 7:14 to many passages about God waiting to respond to the prayers of His people... God is a God who responds when we cry out.

David reminds himself of God's great works, his unfailiing love, and His presence every morning.

I can be honest about the despair and my situation.

But I must also be honest and acknowledge that God is here, He cares, and He responds. Don't be afraid to ask God for deliverance, as David directly calls on God to help and save him from his enemy!