Day 4 - Not Shaken
Reading Passage: Psalm 16:7-9
The birth of our fifth child was such a massive gift to our family. I was on the brink of my 40th birthday and recovering still from the heartache of miscarriage just a year earlier. My trust in my faithful God was steady and the six of us were beyond thrilled.
Something was different about this experience emotionally. I fell into some postpartum depression, which was so hard to understand since I was ECSTATIC about this child. The night time was the worst.
Dark, lonely, and still in pain from a c-section I struggled to get my thoughts to a healthy place. I knew it wasn’t my real self, but I couldn't help the tears. I knew it would pass, but I felt so out of control.
Years back, a mentor friend shared a verse with me for the middle of the night trouble. I had it memorized because someone was ALWAYS sick, hungry, scared, and needed momma. I would pray that verse and the Lord would comfort me and align my heart with His truth.
David was the one who wrote that verse in Psalm 16. He said;
“I will bless the Lord who counsels me - even at night when my thoughts trouble me, I will always let the Lord guide me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my whole being rejoices; my body also rests securely.” Psalm 16:7-9, CSB
David said, “I will bless the Lord” - meaning that he will speak highly and praise the Lord because He guided him safely and we can bless the Lord too.
Don’t you love that line “even at night when my thoughts trouble me”? It speaks to every single one of us. We’ve all been troubled at night. Troubling relationships, work issues, health fears, parenting hardship, and finances can settle into worry just when our body and mind needs to rest the most.
When was the last time your thoughts troubled you at night? ________________________
If we believed that the Lord is near and like David, that could not be shaken… would you be able to rejoice and rest? ___________________________________________________________
Jesus, we pray that when our hearts and minds are troubled at night, that we will immediately seek your counsel in your Word, in worship, and allow you to comfort and bring rest. Amen.
Written by: Jenny Howell